Get Your Money's Worth
by beadedheart
Summary: Elena borrows money from loanshark Damon Salvatore, dangerous mobster who sees women as objects, in order to support herself and her brother. When she can't pay she is taken to work in his house. Can she uncover the man inside the beast? AU/AH
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Get Your Money's Worth**

**Prompt: Elena Gilbert borrows money from a loanshark Damon Salvatore, dangerous mobster and all around bad guy who sees women as objects, in order to support herself and her younger brother. When she can't pay she is taken away to work in his house. She ignores his romantic advances and works to get back to her brother and pay her debt. Can she uncover the man inside the beast?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries. I just like playing with the characters. The creativity is my own.**

**A/N: Welcome to GYMW. This story has been pretty much screaming at me the last few weeks, so I had to write it down. To those of you following my story What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger, I'm sorry about the delay on that. I WILL write it, I have the next chapter started, I'm just a little stuck on where it's going and trying to work out my writers block through what's inspiring me right now. And, since this is inspiring me, I already have a good portion of the next chapter written which will be up around Friday. **

**I hope you like it. Enjoy!**

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><p>Elena Gilbert stretched in her small, twin-sized bed. It was plain, just simple wood planks, and secondhand, like most of the things in the cramped apartment that she and her brother called home since the accident. She sighed, rubbing her eyes before shutting off her blaring alarm clock. Another day, bound to be just the same as all the rest. She rolled out of bed and stumbled over to the window, letting herself enjoy the sun just for one moment.<p>

Elena peered out of the tiny window, stretching on her tiptoes. She had put little adhesive flowers on the glass when they first moved in as a way to bring some life into the room, but they just seemed faded and sad now.

She watched the town start to wake up, people bustling to and fro on the sidewalk below her, getting coffee, reading the newspaper, going to school. She looked at the cars parked on the street. She could name the owner of almost every one. There was Mrs. Flower's old little VW bug. Their miniscule landlady lived a floor down and was as sweet as could be. She could see Miss Sommers' flashy red convertible. It suited her flamboyant personality well. She also saw a black van with tinted windows that she didn't recognize. It reminded her of her parents' car, dark and sleek. The sun reflected off of its polished surface, flashing in her eyes like headlights. She gasped and shook her head violently, rubbing the windowsill to remind herself where she was.

Her personal moment over, she grabbed her shower things and started her day. She went through her morning routine methodically, the same way she had since she was old enough to dress herself.

She scrubbed and shaved her body thoroughly, just like she did every day. She combed her hair with 100 strokes and dried it until it was pin-straight and controlled, just like she did every day. She dressed in worn jeans and a soft, v-neck top, just like she did every day. And she stroked the picture of her parents on her bedside table, saying good morning…just like she did every day.

She went to her calendar. It was one of those complimentary ones from Mystic Falls Trust, the bank down the road. She crossed off the day. September 2nd. She was 4 days late in her payments…again. She _needed_ to get caught up or she'd never pay off her loan.

On her way out of the room she glanced at her small bookshelf filled with her treasures, the things she valued most, her beaten and much-loved books. They were her favorites, the few she had managed to save when they auctioned off their home and belongings. She allowed herself a small smile as she contemplated them, what they promised. They promised freedom, rebellion, life. They let her be Rosalind, Elizabeth Bennett, and Belle.

One day she promised, one day when her debts were paid and she was sure Jeremy could take care of himself, she would get out of here. She would see the world, have experiences, get in trouble…fall in love.

She sighed. Her only relationship crashed and burned not long after her parents did. She just wasn't able to keep things going with Matty, especially with everything she was suddenly responsible for. Besides, there was no spark, no passion. They had known each other since before they could walk and owed it to themselves to try, but Elena had known he wasn't what she needed. She needed fire, adventure, someone who made her feel alive and stole her breath at the same time.

She walked into the living room/kitchen/laundry room area of their tiny flat.

"Jer, 10 minute warning!" She yelled.

She was answered with a dull moan.

"Either you get up or I'll just have breakfast without you!" She sang.

A yelp and a thud came from behind his closed door. Shuffling and more thuds were quickly followed by a whirlwind of 15 year old boy stumbling into the room as he frantically tried to tame his messy hair and button his trousers at the same time.

She regarded him skeptically. "You forget what today is?"

He smirked sheepishly, a blush staining his baby-face. "Sorry 'Lena."

She rolled her eyes. "Jer, it's your first day at this new school. You know how hard we worked to get you in there. Now don't screw it up." She lectured.

They wouldn't normally be eating out for breakfast, but Jeremy deserved the treat today. Their parents had always hoped that Jeremy would attend their father's elite private school. The academic requirements were ridiculously high and, to top it off, Jer had managed to get a partial scholarship. It wasn't enough to cover the whole tuition, which was part of the reason why Elena had to work so hard and had a debt to pay off. But if she could make her parents proud and give Jeremy a better future, she would do whatever it took.

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><p>Five minutes later the siblings strode out into the balmy September air. It hadn't quite started getting cold yet, but Elena knew it would only be a matter of time. They walked quickly to their favorite diner, chatting all the while. When they were seated in their usual booth and had eaten a bit, Jeremy took a break to contemplate his sister.<p>

"Elena?"

She paused in her methodical assault on her chocolate chip pancake tower. "Hmm?"

"Elena, I don't have to go to this school you know. You already work so hard. I can just go to public school." He offered.

"What? No! Mom and Dad wanted this. And this will be good for you. Keep you away from Vicki." She said with a grin.

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "'Lenaaaa." He whined. "Vicki isn't so bad."

"Yeah sure, cuz that's gonna fly when you come home high after hanging out with her. Nice try."

He sighed. She was so good at deflecting attention away from herself. Elena liked to fly under the radar and was more than willing to not take care of herself if she could help someone else instead. She had graduated high school valedictorian but, at 19, wasn't going to college in order to make sure he would be okay. He wished she would do something for herself for once.

"Nice segue sis. Just…don't forget to worry about you, kay?"

Elena smiled. He really was turning into such a sweet boy. "Whatever you say Jer. You about ready? We have to get you to your fancy new school Mr. Prep." She teased.

Jeremy grinned, gulping down one last mouthful of coffee.

Soon enough they stood on the sidewalk outside of the prestigious (or pretentious) Mystic Falls Preparatory. The school's name was proclaimed in big Gothic letters cut deep into marble over the imposing archway. A giant flight of stairs commanded the sidewalk before disappearing into the cavernous recesses. You could practically smell the money.

Jeremy gulped nervously, turning to face his sister. She smiled encouragingly, grabbing him in a tight embrace.

"I'm so proud of you Jer. You did it!"

"Thanks sis'." He said, grinning.

She hugged him again, quickly, before letting go and smoothing his secondhand uniform.

"Okay, hurry up and go. I can't wait to hear all about your first day. I'll see you after work. I might be back late so there are cold cuts in the fridge. And don't forget to do your homework straight off. Save the video games for later."

Jeremy groaned playfully. "Yes Mom." He said, shoving her. "I'll be fine. Get to work."

"Okay" She said, turning to walk to work and waving goodbye enthusiastically. She started off from the school, practically buzzing in excitement. Finally, finally things were starting to come together again. After a year, maybe things could finally be good.

She had barely taken three steps when everything started to move in slow motion. It was like the whole world started crawling through molasses as soon as Elena saw that black truck screech up to the curb.

She tilted her head curiously. That looked like the same van that was outside her apartment this morning. And…wasn't it parked across the street from the diner?

She clapped her hands over her ears when the brakes squealed shrilly, clenching her teeth in remembered fear. The side door whooshed open and a flood of men in black masks poured out of it. The quickly cut her off from the school, making an imposing wall between her and safety.

One of them wrapped a meaty arm around her trim waist and began dragging her towards the truck. She yelled, kicking out, trying desperately to battle off her captor any way she could. She battered his shins with her sneakers and dug her nails viciously into the skin on his arm. She earned a yelp and a low curse for that.

"Hold still you little bitch." The man muttered.

Jeremy turned back when he heard her yell, his face morphing into a mask of horrified shock.

"Jeremy!" She screamed, desperately reaching out to him before she was yanked roughly into the car.

The masked man threw her on the floor of the truck as his cronies slid in behind her. The floor was stripped metal and there were no benches, just a big empty trunk.

The last thing she remembered as she started to hyperventilate was the black door of the car sliding closed on her brother as he stood dumbfounded on the stairs leading to his new life. Then, a smelly canvas bag slid over her head and all she knew was darkness.

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><p>Elena gasped when the bag was yanked off her head. She was standing outside of a building even more impressive than Jeremy's new prep school. She immediately knew where she was.<p>

The Salvatore Boarding House.

Home to the Salvatore Group.

Mystic Falls' resident Evil League of Evil.

Call them what you will, the Mob, Mafia, the devil incarnate, no matter what name they took, they were bad news. Underground cockfighting, illegal betting, assassinations. Anything illegal you could think of, they did it. Their lair was one the outskirts of town, surrounded by miles of dense forest and all owned by the Salvatores.

They were the only people she could turn to after everything. She took her loan from them, knowing how dangerous it was. She had to do it. For Jeremy. And now they had come to collect. They were thugs, murderers, loansharks, bookies, all with a strange and specific honor code enforced by their leader, the notorious Damon Salvatore.

Just the thought of his name was enough to send a room into chills. He was an alcoholic, a womanizer, and easily the most dangerous of them all. They said he could turn off his emotions but he was even more dangerous in a rage. He tore people and items apart blindly until nothing was left. He had inherited his legacy from his father, Giuseppe Salvatore, but, at 24, they said Damon was the most ruthless leader the gang had ever had. He led the Salvatore Group with an iron fist and was the real power in Mystic Falls, as much as the Lockwoods pretended they were. And everyone knew he was a monster, a psychopath with no redeeming qualities.

She shivered. Of course it was them. Who else had the tenacity, or the motive, to kidnap her in broad daylight?

Her inner musings were interrupted when one of her kidnappers shoved her.

"Move." He commanded.

She glanced back to glare at him, noticing that they had all removed their masks. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. Time to enter the lair of the beast.

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><p>Elena strode into the front room of the boarding house, really more of a hall than a room, refusing to be awed by its magnificence. Everything screamed wealth and power, from the heavy russet drapes over the huge arched windows to the gold inlay on almost every surface. The floor was pristine marble patterned in an S-shape. She could only assume it was the Salvatore family crest. The whole room was pretentious and designed to cow even the toughest visitor. <em>Do you think maybe he's compensating for something?<em> She thought with vicious good humor.

The man himself sat at the end of the long room on a raised dais in an enormous wing-backed chair that was more a throne than anything. A trim woman with curly, dirty blonde hair stood at his right shoulder. She embodied the idea of 'hot librarian' complete with glasses and a clip board.

Elena's eyes moved from Miss Sexy Secretary to look at her jailer. She gulped a deep breath as she got her first good look at him. Goosebumps immediately erupted over her body.

He was dressed to kill in all black, his clearly expensive dress-shirt open a bit to display his powerful throat. It clung to his body, hinting at what was undoubtedly drool-worthy underneath. His hair fell rakishly across his forehead as if he had just gotten out of bed…or just finished a spirited bout of lovemaking. His full, pink lips pouted like a spoiled child, begging Elena to take a nibble. He lounged lazily like some rock star playboy, watching the room with a bored expression on his flawless face.

He was _magnificent_. He was beauty and danger and seduction all rolled together into one terrifying temptation. And he hadn't even spoken yet. But she refused to let her body's instinctive response to him achieve what the opulent room hadn't. She would not be cowed.

Damon Salvatore observed the girl as his men led her before him, his calculating eyes giving her a thorough once-over. She walked proudly before them, her head held high, telling him that she was strong and stubborn. Good. That made her all the more enjoyable to break.

His eyebrows rose slightly as he took her in. She was quite a looker. Her dark eyes and tanned skin made him think of sweaty nights dancing in Rio, drunk and hungry to fulfill his desires. Her mouth was ripe and moist, perfect for pleasuring him with her lips wrapped around his manhood. Her masses of hair were wild and mussed from the bag, making him imagine what they would look like splayed across his pillows as he took her hard and fast.

He was jarred from his increasingly x-rated thoughts when his men brought her to a halt at the base of the dais. He sat up, leaning his elbows on his knees and resting his chin on one fist.

"Welcome." He began, before she cut him off.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Let me go! Now!" She demanded, shaking off Stefan's restraining hand. Damon shook his head internally. His cousin was such a softy. He really wasn't suited to be in the Group, but Damon had wanted to give him one last chance on this job today.

As for the girl, Damon just wagged his finger at her.

"Ah ah ah, you're in no position to be making demands Miss Gilbert. To answer your question, I am Damon Salvatore, maybe you've heard of me?" He asked with a dark smirk.

She gulped, but her eyes remained hard. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Well Elena, as you're probably aware, you're late in your payments this month …_again_. We gave you a buy last month, but I really don't like to be kept waiting. So I had my men escort you for a little chat." He explained reasonably.

"Yeah, if by escort you mean kidnap." She snapped.

"Now Elena, you shouldn't sell yourself short. You are _clearly_ not a kid." He said, looking her over in a way that made his meaning clear.

Elena crossed her arms protectively, trying to cover herself from his probing eyes but only managing to give him a fantastic view of her cleavage.

As Elena seethed, Damon continued talking. _He must really like the sound of his own voice_.

"Since you've been late these last couple months, we at the Salvatore Group thought we would be kind enough to help you with your payment issues. After all, we're all _friends_ and working towards a common goal.

We, well, I have found myself in need of a…maid of sorts, someone to do simple chores around the house and keep things organized." Once again he looked her up and down. "You look like you can probably handle something like that."

"My last maid found better employment and, being the upstanding gentleman I am, I couldn't hold her back. Therefore, you'll work for me until you pay off your debt. You'll live here and do what I tell you until I think I've gotten my money's worth. It's a win-win." He explained with a beneficent smile, spreading his arms wide like he was embracing the room.

Elena was dumbstruck. Who the hell did this guy think he was? There was no way she was going to be his maid. From what she could tell of him from the past ten minutes, he'd have her in a skimpy little French outfit helping him dust off the "family jewels" before she could say 'Excusez moi!'.

"What? I can't stay here!" She sputtered. "I have to go back! My brother Jeremy, he's all alone!"

"Not really my problem." He replied flippantly.

She scoffed. He was unbelievable! "Well then, I refuse the position."

His eyebrows shot into a sharp 'v'. His welcoming demeanor immediately disappeared. It was like he had flipped a switch from sarcastic, friendly Damon to deadly dangerous Damon in an instant.

He rose from his throne, walking gracefully off the dais, and stalked dangerously towards her until they were almost chest to chest. Elena's breathing became heavy as here senses filled with only him. His eyes were darkest blue and stared daggers into hers as he spoke.

"Listen up princess, because it seems I haven't made myself clear. You _will_ work for me. It's not a choice. Unless…" He paused, grinning lasciviously, "Unless you want to find another way to pay me back?" He suggested, leering at her as he reached out to brush his fingers along her hip.

She recoiled violently. "Don't touch me." She spat.

She looked at him with revulsion. "You're disgusting."

No sooner had the words left her mouth than she felt an agonizing crack of pain across her cheek. One of his flunkies had viciously backhanded her, sending her to her hands and knees.

"No one speaks to Mr. Salvatore like that!"

She flinched as he raised his hand to do it again when a sharp voice rang out.

"Enough." Damon said calmly, as if it was routine for people to be beaten before him…which it probably was. He turned to the woman with the clipboard. "Andie. Show her where she'll be staying and outline her duties." He looked down at his new servant coldly. "We want princess here to enjoy her stay."

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><p><strong>P.S.: If you don't think this should be rated M, let me know and I'll drop it down to T. Thanks.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys. First off, WOW. Thank you SO MUCH for your amazing response last chapter! All of your alerts, favorites, and kind reviews really made my week. I can't thank you enough. Here's chapter two. I really hope you like it because this was written when I should have been studying for exams. I can't wait to hear what you think.**

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><p>Elena scrubbed sullenly at the marble floor beneath her knees as she contemplated her new circumstances with barely-controlled anger. If she were a cartoon she would be the one with steam coming out of her ears.<p>

The woman with the clipboard, Andie, had led her briskly through the hallways of the Salvatore estate, her fuck-me heels clacking on the waxed and polished floors as Elena trotted to keep up. Elena would soon learn that it would be her sole responsibility to keep all the floors in the house in that condition.

Andie had pointed out key hallways and rooms in an endless stream as Elena hurriedly tried to catalog everything.

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><p>"<em>There is the lounge where Mr. Salvatore takes his evening bourbon and sometimes meets with clients. Always be sure to keep the decanter full and the liquor cart stocked. Down the hallway to our right are the stairs leading to the kitchen. The laundry is also in the basement along with the doors leading to the cages. <em>

_Do not go into the cages. You really don't want to see what's in there. _

_Mr. Salvatore's office is two doors down on our left here. Never, under any circumstances, enter Mr. Salvatore's office." She rattled off, pausing for breath._

"_Why not?" Elena interjected quickly. _

_Andie glanced at her quickly, her eyes blank. "It's forbidden."_

_Elena made a note of that. Forbidden only challenged her._

_By the time Andie turned off into a narrow hallway and led Elena through a small door that opened on a steep flight of stairs it was late in the day and Elena was reeling from all the information she had been given, but Andie just kept talking._

"_You're room is in the attic, along with most of the rest of the household. You will find a bed, a dresser, a desk, and a mirror. Uniforms hang in the closet and any toiletries you need will be in your dresser. Staff bathrooms are communal and in the middle of the hall. Staff dining is in the kitchen. If you run out of toiletries, see Rose. She is chief of staff. If you rip your uniform, you fix it._

_As to your duties, first thing in the morning on alternating days you will scrub, wax, and polish the floors. On the days you are not doing the floors you will dust and vacuum all rooms excepting of course Mr. Salvatore's study and the cages. In the afternoons on alternating days you will report to either the kitchens, where you will work under the cook, Bonnie, or to the gardens to help our groundskeeper, Elijah. Saturdays you will report to Rose for duties that need to be done less often, like window cleanings and such. _

_You will also be expected to wait on Mr. Salvatore and any guests he may have in the evenings. Any additional or unusual duties will be assigned to you as they come. Sunday afternoons the staff has to themselves and you may entertain yourself as you like. But you must stay on the Salvatore grounds unless given permission by Mr. Salvatore. Do you have all of that?"_

"_I think so." Elena replied. "Clean floors and work in the kitchen. Dust and vacuum and work in the garden. Wait on our Almighty Lord and Master."_

_Andie nodded softly. Apparently she had no sense of humor. "Good. You start first thing in the morning. And, if you have any questions speak to me or to Rose."_

_Andie finally stopped walking. "And this…is your room." She said, opening a door to reveal Elena's new home and handing her a key._

_Elena smiled experimentally, trying not to let the tears suddenly threatening her eyes show. It had finally started to sink in that she was trapped here._

"_And Elena?" She said._

"_Hmm?" Elena asked, turning to face Andie. The woman was looking at her with a tentative smile, showing the first emotion Elena had seen all day._

"_I hope…I hope you'll like it here."_

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><p>Elena snorted, scrubbing harder. Fat chance of that.<p>

The room she had been shown to wasn't much smaller or plainer than where she had woken up just yesterday, so that wasn't really a problem. It sure beat a secluded tower or a moldy dungeon.

Even the clothes were better than she expected. The dress was plain sure, made out of coarse material in a sad brownish gray color, but the skirt came to her just above her knees and the neckline was reasonable. And she even had a change, a blouse in the same color with neat black slacks. She shoes were inexpensive and sensible.

She scowled. No, it wasn't the accommodations that were the problem; it was how ridiculous and unjust this whole situation was.

She had never been late on her payments before, never! But, the last two months, tips had been slow at the diner and that combined with Jeremy's tuition had set her back. She would have paid it. Elena Gilbert was no shirker.

She sighed, pausing in her assault on the marble to lean back on her heels and rub her hands gently. She winced when they burned, hot and stinging. They were red and raw all the way up past her wrists from the hot water and starting to blister from a job they weren't used to. They would be sore for a while until she built up calluses.

But she wouldn't let that stop her. She would just have to work extra hard here to get back to Jeremy as soon as she could. It was clear from the moment she arrived that there would be no escaping. There were guards posted everywhere and, even if she did manage to get away, they would just come get her again.

She nodded determinedly, grabbing her sponge and bucket of scalding water. She stood up, her knees protesting and walked to put away her materials and report to the kitchens. She would be the best damn maid Damon Salvatore had ever seen.

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><p>The giant grandfather clock that stood in the entry hall was just sounding twelve when Elena arrived in the kitchens, the booming noise making her jump. She was impressed that the sound reached all the way in the basement.<p>

Her stomach growled loudly as she looked around, trying to spot the cook. The kitchens themselves were a beehive of activity, with pots bubbling and boiling away merrily. There was a huge roast turning on a spit over a giant fire and vegetables were being chopped to go into a stew. The whole placed seemed warm and inviting, reminding Elena of her parents' kitchen at Thanksgiving, until a sharp voice startled her.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my kitchen?"

Elena turned to see a petite woman with mocha skin and a stubborn frown looking at her threateningly.

She was dressed in a bright peasant skirt that reached her feet and a fitted tee with some kind of arcane pattern on it. The lot was covered by a pristine white apron that was unstained despite the bustle in the kitchen. Her mass of curly black hair was held out of her face by a thick, cloth headband.

Her eyes narrowed and her hands rested on her hips as her foot started tapping impatiently.

"Well?"

"Oh right, sorry, I'm Elena…Elena Gilbert. I was told to report here this afternoon? I'm Mr. Salvatore's new…employee." She finished lamely.

Recognition filled the woman's dark eyes. "Oh, of course. How silly of me." She smiled brightly, offering her hand which Elena quickly shook, very confused by this woman's mood swings.

"Sorry about that. Damon's goon squad is always coming down here and getting in my way. I'm Bonnie Bennet, head chef here. Nice to meet you Elena."

"Likewise." Elena said with a smile.

"So, what brings you here? I haven't managed to get the gossip from Caroline yet." Bonnie asked.

Elena's brow furrowed. "Caroline?"

"Yeah, she's Damon's stylist. He's a bit of a, well, a fashionista, in case you haven't noticed."

"Oh I've noticed all right." Elena replied with a grin. Both girls giggled.

"Right, anyway, somehow she always manages to get him to spill everything going on in the mansion when she's styling his hair or tailoring his clothes. Don't ask me how. She's kind of…um…"

"Curious?" Elena offered.

"I was gonna say nosey but curious works just as well." Bonnie said with a smile.

They laughed easily together, warming Elena. Maybe she could be friends with this woman. "I'm here because I owe the Group some money and Damon thinks I'm not paying fast enough. Let's just leave it at that okay? How did you get here?"

Bonnie looked at her curiously before shaking her head and saying, "I'm here because I want to be. I'm legitimately hired by Damon directly, not by the Group. I cook for him and, because my cooking is the best out there, he pays me well."

Elena quirked an eyebrow. "And you like it here?"

"Of course." She replied, as if Elena were the strange one. This woman definitely had something wrong upstairs.

"Alright!" Bonnie exclaimed suddenly, clapping her hands together and making Elena jump with another abrupt subject change. "Let's get you started before Andie comes down here and has a conniption huh?"

"Sounds good." Elena said, rolling up her sleeves. "Where do you want me?"

Bonnie's eyes flashed to Elena mischievously. "Careful Elena. You're lucky it was me you said that to and not Damon. You'll give him ideas talking like that." She joked, directing Elena to start scrubbing down dirty pots.

Elena scoffed, her arms elbow deep in suds. "I don't plan to speak to him at all if I can help it."

"I'm sure you don't mean that. He likes to play the bad guy but he's really not terrible once you get to know him."

"I don't want to get to know him!" Elena exclaimed.

"He stole me from my home, from my brother who depends on me. Jeremy's only 16 and now he's all alone! And it's all Damon Salvatore's fault!" She cried, rubbing furiously at her eyes. "Damn onions!"

Bonnie approached her cautiously, carefully rubbing her shoulder. "Oh honey, I'm sorry."

Elena struggled to calm herself, taking big, even breaths. She didn't want to be any more vulnerable in this house than she already was and here she was spilling her guts to a total stranger. One who was apparently loyal to her captor even. Stupid, stupid Elena.

When Elena seemed to be in control Bonnie spoke again. "Elena honey?"

Elena looked up at her.

"I don't know your situation or what happened that has you owing The Salvatore Group, but I'm sure that if you talked to Damon he would make sure you brother was taken care of."

Elena snorted. "I highly doubt he would even bother to hear me out. I will never ask Damon Salvatore for help. Not again. And I will _never_ want to get to know him."

Bonnie sighed, looking at her knowingly. "Never say never."

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><p>Elena was heading back to the servants quarters after a long day of hard work. The sky was dark through what she had to admit were beautiful windows that stretched from the ceiling to the floor. The stars twinkled magically, brighter than she had ever seen out here. She supposed it helped, being so far from civilization. Her stomach was full of Bonnie's absolutely fantastic beef stew, full of carrots and potatoes and paired with hearty homemade bread.<p>

She was most of the way to the hallway that led upstairs when her foot slid on the floor. She wheeled her arms and slammed her feet down, trying to maintain her balance.

"What the hell?" She whispered.

She looked at the floor only to see a trail of water and bubbles trailing up and down and across the hallway from the giant bathroom to a room across the hall that she was pretty sure was a bedroom. Some ass hat had taken a bubble bath and not bothered to dry off, making a mess all over the floors she had slaved over just that morning.

She marched forward furiously, yanking the bedroom door open to give this idiot a piece of her mind.

"What is your problem?" She shrieked, before choking on her words, coming to a complete standstill at the sight before her. Her jaw worked but no sound came out as she stared helplessly, totally frozen.

Apparently the bedroom she had walked into was Damon's because the (soapy, glistening, sexy-as-all-hell) asshat standing buck naked before her was none other than Damon himself.

The view before her would forever be burned into her mind. She had never seen a more perfect, or more erotic, sight.

Soaking wet, tousled black locks dripped water that ran a trail over smooth, flawless white skin. Elena's eyes followed a droplet as it slid a slow caress down, over strong, square shoulders, catching on the rippling muscles in a powerful back that tapered into a trim waist, only to flare out again into one of the most delectable behinds Elena had ever seen. She wanted to bury her fingers in that ass as she helped his hips drive them both to the brink of ecstasy. And let's not forget his legs, thick powerful thighs and athletic muscled calves. Every. Single. Inch of him was perfect. And she was only seeing him from behind. If his back was this flawless, this delicious, God help her if he turned around.

As if he caught that last thought, he started to twist to face her, his mouth immediately quirking into a mischievous smirk as his baby blues caught her chocolate orbs. She quickly clapped her hands over her eyes, making a garbled noise as she turned around. She could hear him chuckle behind her, low and dangerous and sexy.

"You know, you should really learn to knock." He quipped. She could practically hear the smugness in his voice.

"What if I had been…indecent?" He drawled, his words doing nothing to distract her from his back, his bum, his silky skin that she just wanted to nibble for _hours_. _No! Down Elena!_

She heard a shuffling noise behind her before he said, "You can uncover your eyes Mary my dear. I'm decent."

Elena turned around, peeking carefully through parted fingers before taking her hands away and rolling her eyes dramatically. "My name's Elena, not Mary. You know that."

"Maybe so, but you must be as innocent as the Virgin Mary or you never would have stopped yourself from getting a better look at this magnificent body. Which, I have to admit, is _very_ interesting" He quipped, stroking his bare stomach.

Oh, yes, he was still shirtless, which Elena, through a herculean effort of willpower, managed not to focus on.

Elena shook her head and fisted her hands, digging her nails deep into her palms, trying to force herself to focus. He was so maddening, practically calling her a prude. _Yeah, sure, 'cuz that's what's distracting you._

She yelped when her nails scraped her hands, opening them quickly. She had forgotten about how raw they got today, and shook them out, trying to cool the burn.

Suddenly two big, callused hands entered her field of vision, cupping her right hand gently. She looked down in surprise.

Damon knelt before her and was examining her cracked, blistered skin intently, his silky hair almost brushing her wrist. He blew gently, his breath wafting in a soothing cloud across her injuries while his fingers rubbed calming circles onto the back of her hand. She involuntarily sighed in relief. He glanced up at her from under half lidded eyes, his long eyelashes shading his fine cheekbones, his brow furrowed, trying to see if she was still in pain.

Who was this man? He was supposed to be a ruthless killer, her captor and torturer who tore her away from her life. But this man, this man held her hand close, trying to alleviate her pain, not cause it. She couldn't reconcile these two images and her confusion combined with the heat that was only building between her thighs helped her come to a decision. The same one she always made when emotions got too confusing. Ignore and change the subject.

With that goal in mind she spoke. "I'm not as innocent as you think."

He seemed to shake himself, his concern for her slipping back inside him to be replaced by mischief and that blasted sexy smirk. His voice rumbled deep and low as he rose sinuously, his hands ghosting up her arms to cup her triceps and his lips practically brushing her ear.

"Even better." He breathed, making her shudder.

He pulled away to sit on a chair crossing his legs and looking at her like he knew all her secrets.

"Now then Miss Elena, what has you coming to my room at such a late hour? Finally giving in to your insatiable desire to have me? Honestly I thought you would hold out a little longer what with that stick that's _already_ up your ass. But I'm not one to complain." He said, wiggling his eyebrows.

She scoffed. "Yeah right. I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole."

"Interesting. I have a pole too. Care to compare?" He asked, his eyes twinkling. _God they're blue._

"Ugh!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "Can you manage to stop making innuendos for two seconds so that I can chew you out and leave? Frankly, I'm exhausted and you aren't helping."

He looked briefly thrown off. "Chew me out?" He quickly composed himself. "I mean, that's a little kinky. Nothing I haven't tried but I didn't think you'd be into that."

She looked at him, hands on hips, and stared, her expression clearly saying 'Seriously?'

"_Actually_, I'm here to tell you to use a keep your damn bubbles in the tub and off of my floor. Try using a towel next time. You do know what that is right? I just waxed that floor this morning and I don't need some narcissistic nutjob undoing the work he himself told me to do! Think you can manage that sparky?" She growled.

That smirk immediately dropped off his face. She could practically feel the menace gathering around him like a cloud as he stood up and stalked towards her, backing her into a wall. Her confidence was a thing of the past as he hemmed her in with his arms. Her heart was racing and his heat was suffocating her…and not in a good way.

"_Actually_, sweetheart, _I'm_ going to tell _you_ something. _No one_, especially not a self-important daddy's girl speaks to _me_ that way. You work for me babe which means I will do whatever the hell I want on _my_ floors. Got it? Until _I_ decide that you've paid me back you are my _property_. I _own_ you. And don't you ever think different. Or I'll make sure you stop being my maid and let you work off your debt scrubbing the cages in only lacy French lingerie for every man in the Group to see. Their reaction should be…interesting. My men aren't known for their self-control. And that's a promise. I don't make idle threats." He snarled, his ocean eyes sparking and snapping with fury.

She glared up into his face, trying to hide her shaking hands. "I belong to no one. What? You can't manage to get a woman to sleep with you willingly so you'll just take what they won't give? I thought Damon Salvatore had more game than that."

She had an instant to slam her eyes shut as his hand flew back. She hunched her shoulders bracing for impact but he checked himself millimeters from her skin. His hand was so close she could feel the air from the force of his arm.

She stood still and shuddered as his lips once again brushed her ear, the feelings coursing through her entirely different than they were a few seconds ago. His hands grasped her hips roughly, bunching the material of her dress and pulling her flush to him. Her fists beat against his chest but he ignored her. One hand raked up to tangle in her hair, yanking her head sharply to the side so he could run his nose up and down the column of her neck while the other grabbed her fists and slammed them above her head, causing her to cry out in pain. _He was telling the truth. He doesn't make idle threats._

For a moment, just for a second, she had managed to forget that he was a ruthless murdering fiend and she had let her guard down. She had treated him as she would have an annoying guy at a bar. And this is what happened. _I'm such a fool. _Tears pooled in her eyes, pushing out of the edges as she held her eyelids tightly shut.

Her rigid body was suddenly thrown away from him and slammed against the wall. She slumped to the floor to look up at the furious man before her. Both of their chests were heaving with the tension in the air.

"I have never and will never have an unwilling woman. Now. Get the fuck out of my room before I make good on my promise." His voice was deadly low and harsh and she believed every word. She struggled to hold her tears back. No matter what she wouldn't let him see her weakness.

"And from now on just do your damn job and don't ask questions." He snapped, backing away just enough to give her room to escape.

When she still stood frozen he yelled again, his voice harsh. "GET OUT!"

Elena obeyed, sliding out through the smallest crack in the door she could and running, flying as fast as her legs could carry her, to the door leading to the servants' stairs, her arms wrapped tight around her ribs as she sobbed.

She struggled up the stairs as fast as she could, tripping and banging her shins more than once but she was too far gone to care. Her body had only one directive. Get away.

She made it into the servants' hallway, her feet pounding the old wood floor as she fumbled her key out of her pocket. Her fingers trembled as she tried to get it in the lock. She was so terrified she almost didn't hear the voice behind her.

"Elena?"

Her head whipped up in fear, her eyes wide and her face tearstained. _No! Please don't let it be him._

But it was Bonnie, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Elena!" She exclaimed, as Elena finally managed to get her bedroom door open. "What happened?"

"You were wrong Bonnie." She choked out. "He's a monster."

With that she entered her room, slamming the door behind her and locking it. She slumped to the floor with her back against the door, a limp puddle of quivering, quaking fear and anger and adrenaline. She cupped her face in her hands and just sobbed.

* * *

><p><strong>Whew! That was intense. What do you guys think? Will Elena be able to forgive him for this? Will Damon redeem himself?<strong>

**Also, I know the first half of this chapter was mostly setup and I hope it wasn't too slow for everyone, but it had to be done.**

**Lastly, I have a question, just out of curiosity. Does favoriting a story work the same way as alerting? Do you still get an email telling you when a story is updated? Just wondering why someone would favorite an incomplete story and not alert it?**

**Have a great Easter weekend!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh my gosh, thank you guys SO much for all your amazing reviews and favorites and alerts last chapter. You guys seriously rock my world and make my day. You have no idea. **

**This would have been out sooner if the Fundamentals of Engineering exam hadn't wrecked my life last week. It's this huge 8 hour long test that was on Saturday and that I spent most of the week studying for. And I didn't want to rush this and give you guys stuff that was no good, because you deserve better. So I've been working like mad since Sunday to get this to you and I really like how it turned out.**

**This chapter jumps around a smidge as to what point in the week it is. I hope it's not too confusing.**

**Lastly, a lot of you expressed concern about Jeremy and you were totally right. So this chapter we'll find out how he's doing straight off. Enjoy!**

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><p>Jeremy Gilbert was, to put it simply, freaking out. His sister had been stolen right in front of his eyes. And to make it worse, he had just stood there, gaping like an idiot as she was thrown into that black van. <em>I'm such a dumbass!<em>

He had had no choice but to go to class but he spent the whole day distracted, trying to figure out who the hell would steal Elena and what the fuck he could do to help her. He spent the whole week with worry and fear and anger constricting his chest and swirling uselessly in his head.

That night he went through his sister's stuff to see if there were any hints as to where she was. He struck gold when he found a crumpled piece of paper hidden in her copy of _The Golden Compass_. He rolled his eyes. _Why am I not surprised it's here? Now, what is it?_

Jeremy had unfolded the paper, not really expecting what he found. At the top of the page was the (well-known and much-feared) Salvatore Group seal. _What business would Elena have with the Salvatore Group?_

It turned out she was in deep with them for a loan she took out five months after their parents passed away and right around the time they had started looking into getting Jeremy into Mystic Falls Prep. She had borrowed $50,000 at a ridiculous interest rate and had been trying to pay it off on a waitress' salary? _Damn it Elena!_ She really would do anything for him. But why the hell hadn't she told him?

His first instinct was to go to the police, but he forced himself to think. He couldn't tell the authorities. He was still a minor. Their first move would be to put him in some kind of home and just tell him to sit tight. That was completely unacceptable. He had to be home for her in case she somehow managed to get away. He had to be free to look for her. No way in hell was he just gonna sit and wait and trust some bumbling middle-aged rent-a-cop with his sister's life. She was all he had.

He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. It was Thursday now and he was no closer to saving his sister. None of this brooding helped him find her. He sighed loudly, blowing air like an elephant.

"Mr. Gilbert?"

How, how could he help her? What was he supposed to do?

"Mr. Gilbert."

God, this situation royally blew. He was only sixteen. He wasn't supposed to be able to handle this.

"_**MR. GILBERT!**_" A sharp voice broke through his thoughts and Jeremy looked up suddenly to see his AP World History instructor looking at him with good-natured amusement. Titters went around the classroom.

"Are we interrupting you Mr. Gilbert?"

"Uh…no, no sorry…Sir" Jeremy managed.

"Good. Then please describe the overarching effect that the Black Hand's assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand had on Austria and the world."

Jeremy looked down at his hands. "I'm sorry sir, I don't know."

The whispers and snickers in the classroom got louder.

"Very well Mr. Gilbert. Please see me after class."

"Yes sir." Jeremy slumped in his seat, utterly defeated. First Elena, now this school that she wanted for him so badly. Could things get any worse?

After class he stayed behind as the last of the students trickled into the hallway. He looked down guiltily as his teacher lounged against the blackboard with a speculative expression.

"So. Do you want to tell me what's going on?"

Jeremy blinked, surprised. "What?"

"Don't try to lie. You've been distracted and fidgety all week. And not the new school, new people kind of distracted and fidgety. So, I'll ask again, what's going on?"

Jeremy sighed. "I really can't tell you sir."

He sighed. "Look, if it's drugs or alcohol or sex or whatever, I'm not gonna turn you in. You're a smart kid. I saw your transcript. Let me help you. Tell me what's bothering you and we'll work it out together."

Jeremy looked at him apprehensively. "You swear you won't go to the cops?"

He quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh, crap, that came out wrong. I mean, it's not drugs or anything like that, but you can't tell the cops."

"Okay. Fine. Now will you tell me what's going on?"

Jeremy quickly spilled everything that had happened and everything he had found since Monday, including why the cops couldn't be involved. He just listened, arms crossed, brow furrowed in concentration through the whole sordid tale.

When Jeremy finally finished he whistled.

"Shit. Damn Salvatore Group. Always ruining lives."

"So you believe me?"

His teacher regarded him seriously. "I do. I have some experience with the Salvatore Group."

"Oh." Jeremy replied simply, his curiosity peaked.

"Mmhmm. You've gotten yourself into a pretty messy situation Gilbert."

"I know. But I don't know what to do."

He sighed. "I guess I don't have a choice." He looked up at Jeremy, his brown eyes sharp and angry. "I'll help you get her back."

"Really?" Jeremy gasped. "I mean, you don't have to do that sir. I can figure it out."

"Yeah right, like I'm gonna leave a kid to handle this alone. You sure have a good opinion of me." He snorted.

"Besides, I have a score to settle with Damon Salvatore." He paused, his eyes briefly getting a faraway look in them. "Look, after school tomorrow we'll talk okay? We can figure out our next step from there."

Jeremy slumped, feeling relieved for the first time since he watched them drag Elena away.

"Thank you so much sir. Really."

He clapped Jeremy on the back. "Don't worry about it. Now get to class."

Jeremy walked to the door.

"Oh, and Jeremy?"

He turned back. "Yes sir?"

"Call me Alaric."

* * *

><p><strong>= Wednesday Morning = <strong>

Elena woke with a crick in her neck and a determination to not let Damon "Caveman" Salvatore's barbaric behavior break her. She refused to be his punching bag.

She got to her feet with a groan, stretching on her tiptoes and relishing as the kinks in her spine snapped back into place. She combed her hair and dressed in her pants and shirt uniform. She figured it would be more suitable for working in the garden this afternoon than her dress. She scrubbed her teeth thoroughly, getting rid of that awful dry feeling that you get after a real cry, and threw some water on her face.

With that she was ready. She walked out the door determined to start her day without fear.

First order of business: Breakfast. Which meant facing Bonnie. This should be interesting.

She made her way down to the kitchen, skirting as far from the door to _his _room as possible. She hovered at the entrance nervously, loathe to explain what Bonnie had seen last night. She could hear voices coming from inside and couldn't help but listen in.

"…and this guy was all like 'I'll show you a disco stick' which of course was soooo not gonna fly with me and so you'll never guess what I did. Go ahead guess!" A bubbly voice chimed.

A sigh. "Why don't you just tell me?" That was Bonnie's voice.

"No, no, you have to guess!"

"Well, knowing you, it's entirely possible that you jumped his bones regardless."

"Ugh, Bonnie, don't be ridiculous. Even I have standards you know. So anyway, he tried to pull that sleazy one-liner crap on me and so I totally kicked his ass to the curb, ninja-style!"

Elena's curiosity overcame her nervousness and she strode into the kitchen to see Bonnie sitting at the table with another girl. Her back was turned but she was definitely very blonde. Elena struggled to suppress her giggles but she must have made some noise because Bonnie looked up, her expression one of relief.

Her eyes widened when she saw who was standing there. "Elena! Are you okay? What happened last night?" She asked in a burst.

The blonde girl turned to look at her. She was lovely. Pale and striking, all smooth curves and strong limbs. She was dressed stylishly, in a bright patterned sundress that clashed in all the right ways with her leather jacket, cowboy boots, and cherry-red lips. She looked like she'd tumbled out of a fashion catalogue.

She realized she hadn't responded to Bonnie yet. "Oh…um, it was nothing. Just an argument with our fearless leader. Wouldn't be the first time and probably won't be the last." She said flippantly.

Bonnie examined her doubtfully. "Are you sure? You seemed really upset."

"I'm fine, I swear." She said, unconsciously rubbing her forearms where his fingers marked her. The silence started to stretch as Elena looked pointedly at Bonnie. Finally she cleared her throat and Bonnie jumped.

"Oh right, sorry. Elena, this is Caroline. We talked about her yesterday. Caroline, Elena." Bonnie said.

Elena extended her hand, smiling. "Nice to meet you."

Caroline jumped up, completely ignoring her hand to grab her in a tight hug. She bounced back to her seat just as fast with a great grin on her face.

"You too! I'm always happy to have another girl here. I mean, there are just so many _boys_ in the Salvatore Group. And not even the tasty kind, I mean the Lockwood brothers are yummy with their shirts off but really they're such monumental douche bags it _totally_ ruins it. Does it really have to be so hard to find a sweet, sensitive, cultured guy who'll take care of me but can still manage to give me _earth-shattering_ orga…"

"Aaaand that, ladies and gentlemen, is Caroline Forbes." Bonnie interrupted, getting up to serve Elena some oatmeal. "Also, Caroline, yes, yes it is."

The girls dissolved into raucous laughter.

**20 Minutes Later**

The girls had kept talking and laughing far longer than they should have. It was clear that they were going to be fast friends and Elena decided it was time they got down to the really important stuff…sort of.

She looked at Caroline curiously. "Sooooo….why does none of the staff actually wear the uniform?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Ugh, Damon doesn't actually care about that. Andie is the only one that does and only because she's got a giant stick up her ass. Besides, those uniforms are dead ugly and just depressing." She said, plucking at Elena's shirt.

"I mean, just look at you! It's a disaster! You _need_ me to dress you right!"

"Yeah…maybe some other time. I don't think I've been cleared for mall trips just yet." Elena replied sarcastically.

Caroline flinched. "Oh…right."

Just then they were interrupted by a man that Elena recognized as one of her kidnappers. He was tall and well-built, with styled hair and an expression she swore was photocopied off of the cover of a romance novel. It was weird, seeing what was essentially Mr. Bingley's cousin in the flesh. His looks were wasted on her though. _Life-stealing brother-abandoning Damon-groupie_. She thought viciously.

"Excuse me, Elena?"

Caroline and Bonnie looked at him in surprise. "Stefan? What're you doing down here? Damon usually has you running "errands" this time of day." Caroline asked chirpily, her fingers making air-quotes for the word 'errands'.

"Well…that's sort of what I'm doing now." He replied, a blush staining his high cheekbones and a gentle smile gracing his lips as he looked at the gorgeous blonde.

Elena glared. "Oh, like how you were running 'errands' when you stole me two days ago?" She spat. "What now? Come to manhandle me some more?"

Stefan held up his hands defensively. "Look I'm really sorry about that…"

"You're sorry?" She scoffed. "Oh right, because saying you're sorry will make things all better after you literally _rip_ someone from their life? That's interesting. I didn't know that's how it worked!"

"Whoa, whoa Elena, calm down!" Bonnie cried. "Stefan isn't like that. He didn't have a choice. Damon is his cousin and, well, family business and all. But Stefan's really not a bad guy. He just has no marketable skills." Bonnie explained matter-of-factly.

"Gee, thanks." Stefan muttered.

Elena glared around the room. These people were ridiculous. This place was ridiculous and they had a completely skewed view of the world. How could anyone be happy here?

"There's always a choice. Always." She said, looking pointedly at Stefan.

Stefan sighed, hunching his shoulders uncomfortably. "Look, I know you won't believe me, but I actually am sorry for kidnapping you. It's just…complicated." He said, looking up at her with that stupid puppy-dog look she hated on men. "And now I'm going to make you angrier I think."

Elena quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? That'll be impressive."

"Damon has asked me to bring you to see him." He admitted.

Elena stiffened, her hands clenching into fists at the thought of seeing him, especially so soon after their…less-than-friendly encounter last night. He couldn't even give her the day to build her defenses back up again? He was such a pompous, controlling, asshole.

"And what, exactly, does his Highness need me for?"

"Uh…I think he needs you to wait on a bunch of group members or something. Just…don't shoot the messenger."

Elena sighed, glancing at Bonnie and Caroline in exasperation. Bonnie looked at her worriedly. Elena's shoulders slumped.

"Fine. Lead the way."

* * *

><p>Stefan led her to a drawing room, thrusting a tray filled with various liquors and a small bowl of bar nuts, which, honestly, weren't gonna help if they were going to be consuming this much alcohol, into her hands. He opened the door and gave her a little shove forward, whispering "Good luck" before leaving her to her fate.<p>

There was a cluster of men spread out on the various couches and chairs in the room, all with drinks in hand and all flitting around Damon like a bunch of lovesick schoolgirls. They postured and flattered and made dirty jokes, all trying to fall into favor with the big cheese. It was sickening.

She rolled her eyes and walked forward into the lion's den, feeling her heartbeat pick up as _he_ came into clearer view. Her fingers trembled and her eyes widened, ready to bolt as soon as possible.

She stood at the outskirts of their little powwow, waiting to be noticed or given an order or _something_. Minutes passed and, nothing. Before long her nervousness was replaced with a boiling frustration.

Damon watched her gleefully as she got angrier and angrier. He couldn't believe she came. He figured Stefan would have had to carry her kicking and screaming, stubborn little minx.

And, since Stefan was such a huge pussy, he had figured he would have to go get her himself, which would have been nothing but fun.

But this was almost as good. Getting to look at that hot little body encased in tight dress pants and a blouse so light it left almost nothing to the imagination was even better when he got to fuck with her mind. She really was stunning, all beautiful lines and curves. And she was even more beautiful when she was all riled up, hence the point of this exercise. He couldn't wait until she got fed up and decided to interrupt. He high-fived his inner demon. This was so much fun!

Elena fumed. They clearly knew she was here. The men had no qualms about letting their eyes trail all over her, their resulting grins lurid and slimy. Even _he_ knew she was here as evidenced by the little smirk that would flash over his features whenever his eyes flicked to her and took in her clenched hands and impatiently tapping foot. She gritted her teeth. She _hated_ being ignored.

Finally she had had enough. The clock was ticking and she was supposed to be in the gardens to meet Elijah in five minutes. Not only had he wasted her whole morning but now there was no way she would get there in time. It was time to make her presence known.

"Excuse me. Did you need me for something?" She asked angrily.

The room fell silent, all the men staring at her as if she was an alien. Who was she to interrupt them? Their heads comically flicked in unison from her to Damon and back again, trying to see his reaction to this insolent little waitress.

A slow smirk spread across the face of the man in question. You could practically feel the collective relaxation in the room.

"Not really." He replied cheekily.

Her eyes flashed. "Well, then why did you tell Stefan to bring me here?" She exclaimed, exasperated.

"Why not?"

She rolled her eyes. "Well, in that case I'll be going. You know, to do the work you _kidnapped _me for." She griped. She turned and began to leave when his voice called her back.

"Wait."

She turned to look at him, her eyebrows raised.

He glanced to a stack of books on the end table by his elbow. He very deliberately reached out and rested his hand on top of the stack. And he just as deliberately pushed them onto the floor.

"Pick those up." He ordered.

She glared at him in fury, her temperature ratcheting up. This man. This man! He made her so…so…angry! No one got under her skin like this man. She stomped forward and crouched, gathering the books and slamming them back on the table.

"Anything else oh Lord and Master?" She snarled.

His eyebrow quirked and a sinful smile decorated his face at the name. Elena did an internal facepalm. _Good job idiot, way to give him ideas. _He looked over to one of the men and nodded. "Marshall."

She glanced where he was looking to see Marshall grinning and sliding a pile of papers off of the coffee table in the middle of the circle.

"Now those." Damon ordered.

Elena obeyed angrily, scooping the papers up and slapping them into Marshall's chest, her face red with humiliation. She was disgusted, with herself, but especially with him. He was no better than a posturing peacock, exerting dominance and reminding her who was in charge. And she was just letting him walk all over her like last night broke her. Well, enough was enough.

She rushed to him, resting her hands on the arms of his chair and leaning over him until their noses were almost touching, completely ignoring the fact that any one of the men scattered around them could snap her in two.

She glared into his face, locking her angry brown orbs onto his shockingly blue ones.

"Why are you doing this?"

He stood up as well, forcing her to back up and looming over her. She had to crane her neck in order to look up at him, effectively taking away her dominance. Damn him.

Their bodies were barely a hairsbreadth apart and the electricity crackling between them held the whole room breathless. He glared down at her, his heavy brows shadowing his eyes as he tried not to be affected by her proximity. God she smelled good. And she was furious, just like he hoped. Her eyes were murderously dark, like she wanted to castrate him with a rusty spoon, and her chest was heaving, threatening to pop a button off that ugly blouse. Why couldn't he just jump her again? That would wipe that furious little frown right off her face.

"Because I can. Because I own you. I thought we had already covered this." He snapped. Then, in one of those lightning quick mood changes of his, he smirked. "And because it's fun getting you all hot and bothered." He said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

She sniffed. "Well, when you decide to stop acting like a possessive _five year old_, I'll be working. The sooner I get out of this madhouse and away from you, the better." She spat, turning on her heel and marching promptly out of the room before he could say anything.

She missed the stunned expressions on his flunkies' faces as they stared after her in shock. Did she just get one up on the boss? That never happened. They looked at Damon, watching his face transition through a curious series of expressions.

His hands clenched and his jaw tightened. A vein in his neck throbbed dangerously as he remembered how she had spoken to him. And in front of his men! But he had to admit, she held her own. Little maid had…spunk. His face smoothed out, his shoulders relaxing as he fell back into his chair. A mischievous light filled his eyes.

She was a challenge.

And no one could say Damon Salvatore didn't enjoy a challenge.

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><p><strong>And that's Chapter 3! Like I said, I really liked this chapter. Let me know if you did too. Let me know if you didn't. How did you like the stuff with Jeremy?<strong>

**Expect the next chapter soon, it's already started. **

**Do you guys think Elena's been a little too bitchy and angry to suit her character? I kind of do, but never fear, we'll see the Elena we all know and love a bit more next chapter. We'll also meet Elijah and see a Delena moment that I have been DYING to show you guys. So stay tuned!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again my wonderful readers! I know I say it every time, but I just have to give hugs and kisses to everyone who alerts, favorites, or reviews. You guys are wonderful. I have for you the lovely fourth chapter of Get Your Money's Worth hot off my hard drive. I hope you like it and I can't wait to hear what you think.**

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><p>Elena tore down the hallways to the yard in a fury. How dare he demean her that way? She had no problem with honest work but that nonsense with the papers and the books was just the chauvinistic posturing of an insecure little boy. He grasped her too tight trying to control her and just squeezed and suffocated her until she exploded free of his grip.<p>

She stormed angrily outside, her sensible leather shoes crushing the grass violently. She was so consumed in her self-righteous rampage that she ran right into a solid mass. She stumbled back with a huff and, right before she could fall to the ground in a tangled heap, two strong hands grabbed her forearms in a firm grip, steadying her. She looked up into dark brown eyes that twinkled in mirth. She stepped away, blinking like a deer caught in headlights.

The wall she had run into turned out to be a man, maybe four or five inches taller than her, with light brown hair in a polished coif and an amused smirk. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, with a chiseled jaw and a strong body. He wore blue jeans and a simple cotton t-shirt that clung to defined muscles in his abdomen, but he wore them proudly, almost regally. Really, he was very appealing. Not as good as Damon, but still rather delectable.

And she had just slammed into him like a bumbling idiot.

If she were ten years older she would gladly jump him. You know, to apologize.

In the midst of all this (staring, maybe downright ogling, on her part and smirking on his) Elena managed to find her voice.

"Uh, s…sorry. About that."

He smiled indulgently. "No harm, no foul my dear."

She blushed, actually blushed, when he called her dear. "A…are you sure? That you're okay, I mean."

"Quite sure."

"Oh. Well…good."

He smirked broadly, waiting for something.

"O…oh. I'm Elena." She stammered, mentally smacking herself for being completely brain dead in front of this suave older man.

"A pleasure indeed Elena. I am Elijah. I believe we have a meeting this afternoon, which, if I am correct, you are late for." He responded, not unkindly.

Her face reddened. "Yeah…I'm really sorry about that."

"Not to worry Miss Elena. You're here now. Let us begin our tour."

They walked through the gardens as Elijah explained his duties to her.

"Usually I'm more of an overseer, directing the gardeners and outdoor staff. But, since today is your first day, I thought it might be helpful if I were able to get down and dirty with you. Hence the...informal…clothing."

Elena had stopped listening at the words 'down and dirty'. He knew how that sounded right? Because it sounded to her like he was planning on introducing her to some 'gardening techniques' behind one of those giant rosebushes in that corner over there. He had to know right?

If anything it sounded even more spine-tinglingly delicious in that smooth, lilting, lightly-accented voice of his. She shook her head. _Pay attention idiot! Or you'll be the one sounding ridiculous when you can't answer him._

"…and that is how the Salvatore grounds have remained enviable for almost 150 years."

Elena blinked. She nodded quickly like she had some idea what the hell he had been saying.

He smirked lightly. Why did all these men smirk like they knew every naughty thought you had ever had, goddammit?

"Miss Elena, you seem rather distracted. Is everything all right?"

She rubbed her arm sheepishly. "Oh, yes, it's just…I had a rather unsettling…encounter…with Damon and some of his lackeys right before coming here. It's actually why I was a bit late. Sorry again."

He studied her, his expression turning serious. "Indeed. Somehow this does not surprise me, you being a lovely young lady with, may I say, a delightful amount of fire and independence very clearly unbroken by the circumstances you've found yourself in."

"Yeah well, it just manages to piss Damon off." She said, glowering.

He chuckled. "I'm sure it does."

She scuffed her toe in the freshly turn dirt, her skin heating in remembered embarrassment.

He shifted forward, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him in surprise. He didn't really seem like the touchy-feely type.

"If you are really troubled by it, I could, if you are willing, teach you something of hand-to-hand combat while you work for me. I am something of an expert."

"You would do that? Even though I might use it against your boss?"

"Of course. I would not leave anyone unable to defend themselves from unwanted attention. Besides, I have often wanted to give Damon a good punch, so I understand the sentiment."

She smiled up at him. "Thank you so much. I gladly accept."

He smiled gently in return.

Their moment was interrupted by a loud voice.

"Eli! Eli? Elijah where are you?"

Elijah stepped carefully away from Elena. "We are over here!" He returned.

A shapely, statuesque woman with spikey brown hair jogged into view. She stopped before them, panting lightly.

"There you two are. I've been looking all over the estate for you."

Elijah's eyes lit up softly. "Elena, this is Rose, head of household. Rose, your new maid Elena."

"Oh, right, thanks Eli. It's great to finally meet you Elena." Rose responded with a warm smile.

Elena smiled back. "Does the whole complex already know all about me?"

"Word travels fast around here. New people don't come in very often, especially clients."

Elena's eyes saddened. "So you know why I'm here."

"Andie gave Elijah and I the basics. I hope that doesn't bother you."

"No, not really. It's just…strange, having everyone know my situation. No one knew at home…"

Elena trailed off and an awkward silence filled the space between them.

Elijah cleared his throat. "Rose my dear, why were you looking for us?"

"Oh, right. Damon wants to see Elena."

Elena groaned. "Again? What does he need this time?"

Rose raised her eyebrows.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just get this over with." Elena said, sighing.

Elijah held her back with a hand on her arm.

"Don't worry my dear. We will begin training you the next time I see you. In the meantime, you can handle him. Of that I have no doubt." He said firmly, making Rose stare at them oddly.

She snorted. "If you say so."

As Elena and Rose made their way back into the house, Rose studied her curiously.

"What?"

"Oh nothing. Elijah just doesn't usually take to people that quickly."

"Really? He seemed perfectly friendly to me."

"Don't be fooled. He may be a gardener, but he's also Damon's spymaster and one of the most skilled armed and unarmed combat experts in the U.S. and Russia. I can't tell you how many times rival gangs, private investors, even dignitaries have tried to steal him away."

Elena gaped, looking back over her shoulder. "Elijah? He seems more the type to have afternoon tea than play with weapons."

"Well he does. Every day at three. But he's also deadly. Be grateful he likes you."

Elena smiled. She suddenly felt much calmer about facing Damon again.

* * *

><p>Damon didn't bother looking up as Stefan entered his study that evening.<p>

"You wanted to see me?" Stefan asked.

Damon continued to study the papers in front of him. "Yes. I wanted to talk to you about the problems we've been having maintaining our client base lately."

"Is Elena okay?"

Damon looked up in surprise. "What?"

"You had me bring Elena to the lounge this morning. Is she okay?" Stefan asked slowly, like he was talking a child.

Damon's eyes narrowed. "Why do you care?"

Stefan shrugged. "Well, I had to talk to her in order to bring her to you. She seems nice. And I know what happens in those so-called 'meetings' sometimes."

Damon rolled his eyes. Once again Stefan was getting on his high horse, ready to save the day.

"Don't get your panties in a twist. She's _fine_. Nothing happened. At least, nothing she won't recover from." He replied, wiggling his eyebrows.

Stefan balled his fists. "Don't mess with her Damon. Seriously."

Damon leaned forward dangerously. "Since when do you get to tell me what to do?"

He leaned back again with a groan, placing his fingers into a steeple. "I've suspected for a while now that you weren't cut out to be part of the Salvatore Group enforcing squad Steffie, but this just proves it. You're worried about some little maid who owes us money and doesn't know her place. Really Stefan, what is wrong with you?"

Damon blew his hair out of his eyes. "You had to know this was coming sooner or later. I'm gonna have to take you off the squad. You'll be happier doing something else anyway."

"Like what?"

"Hmm…oh I know! You could open up a barber shop! It'll be great. You can make the hero haircut special your signature. You'd have Edward Cullen wannabes by the bucketload. Better stock up on hair gel cuz."

"Be serious Damon. What're you going to have me do?"

"I don't know, Stefan! I'll…I'll find you something. Okay? Can you leave now?"

Stefan sighed, turning to leave. "Just…stay away from Elena Damon. I mean it."

Damon glared at his retreating back. _Like hell I will._

* * *

><p>It was finally Sunday and Elena decided to spend her free time taking this opportunity to really explore the boarding house. All week long Damon had kept her hopping with pointless little chores that he really could have accomplished himself. Luckily the friendships she was fast building with the rest of the staff and Stefan made Damon's bullshit bearable. But today was about her and right now she was going to see what secrets this enormous house hid.<p>

She was tempted to start right at those cages and solve that mystery, but after experiencing Damon's fury that first night, the cages would have to wait until he was away on business or something. What he doesn't know can't hurt her right?

Instead she wandered the halls, moving freely thanks to a comfortable pair of jeans and light purple t-shirt Caroline had lent her.

She poked her head in doors and, if the rooms looked intriguing, just strolled through them. Each room was beautiful, if a little dark for her taste. Most of them were floored in deep cherry or mahogany hardwood broken by enormous Persian rugs. In fact, just the floors in this house were probably worth a college tuition…for her _and_ her brother. She saw bedrooms and guestrooms and a gym and an enormous ballroom and even a movie room.

But nothing prepared her for the room she found on the second floor in the far corner of the west wing of the house.

It was a library. But not just any library. The largest, most well-stocked library Elena had ever seen. It was the kind of library that bookworms dreamed about. Warm and inviting and yet riddled with hidden nooks just begging to be discovered. In fact, it was more than a library, it was an enchanted wood that glimmered in the light. God, she could spend hours just getting lost in here.

Everywhere she looked there were forests of shelves filled with treasure troves of books. Every topic from history to biology to science fiction was covered. She was willing to bet that a vast majority of them were first editions.

It put her forlorn little bookshelf with a handful of hand-me-down books to shame.

In the center of this Eden directly across from the door the shelves parted to reveal an oasis made of plush carpeting and littered with cushy couches and easy chairs perfect for curling up in. The wall at the back of this sanctuary was broken by an enormous fireplace flanked by two grand floor-to-ceiling windows that let the evening sun in to light the room with fire.

Elena walked slowly into this dream, her eyes wide with awe and her mouth open in wonder. She turned and turned, trying to take everything in. She spread her arms to hold this joyous room close to her. This place could be her refuge, her escape and she immediately loved it. There was really nothing like a library or like books. Their smell, their texture, everything about them made you feel at home. It was so easy to get lost in a library while finding yourself in a book at the same time.

She smiled widely, suddenly and blissfully happy for the first time all week. The feelings of safety and familiarity coursing through her made this cold, unpleasant house just a little bit better.

He watched her from his seat by the fireplace, a worn copy of _Call of the Wild_ by Jack London in his hands. He wasn't surprised she hadn't noticed him. His dark clothes and hair let him blend in to the plush chair he sat in. The light from the windows shrouded him in shadow, letting him observe her secretly for a moment. What he saw amazed him.

All week long he had forced her into his company, curious to study this girl that had challenged him so fearlessly in his room and before his men knowing full well what he could do to her. But not once had she shown him this side of her. She spun so giddily and freely before his hungry eyes. He took her in, devouring her image, wanting to consume her joy and make it a part of him so he could feel it too.

Her flowing chestnut hair reflected the light and matched a brightness in her eyes he had never seen before. She wore simple clothes that clung to her frame and yet she made them look unbearably beautiful. Her sheer relief, so apparent, made his chest constrict strangely. For this brief moment she unknowingly let him see the beauty that he hadn't noticed behind that pretty face and argumentative attitude.

_A beautiful soul._

It had been a long time, a very long time, since he had seen one of those. Suddenly, for a fleeting flash of time, he saw past her blatant sex-appeal and wondered at the childlike innocence and joy she showed in his favorite place.

He stopped for a second, listening to what he was thinking.

Then he promptly bit his tongue.

Hard.

What the hell was wrong with him? _Childlike innocence and joy? What am I, Stefan? Ugh, kill me now._

She was just a servant, a business investment, nothing more. He would not think of her this way. He knew the girls that borrowed money from his group, girls like her. They were hot bodies with shallow problems. He would not let her uncharacteristic fire and defiance blind him to the person he knew she was. And if he was going to manage that she would need to stop looking so shit-faced happy. Like now.

"Perfect timing." He said loudly, watching her jump.

Elena looked around frantically. She thought she was alone in this paradise.

Ugh.

It was him.

Damon.

Why did he have to be here ruining her perfect moment? And why did he have to look so dark and sexy and downright delicious while doing it?

It just wasn't fair. How was she supposed to loath him for all eternity when half of her desperately wanted to slam him up against one of those giant windows and run her hands all over his perfectly chiseled torso?

Wait. Had he said something? Shit. What was it?

"Huh?" She asked.

"It's a good thing you're here. Go and get me some food. And bring some bourbon while you're at it." He commanded.

She frowned. "The staff has Sunday afternoons free. I don't obey you for the next twelve hours. Go get it yourself."

He scoffed. "Sweetheart, you didn't actually think you ever stopped working for me did you?"

She crossed her arms, cocking her hip stubbornly.

"See, that's the thing. I don't work for you. You _stole_ me from my life and my family and you're forcing me to work in this dysfunctional little world you've built yourself. I'm not like Bonnie or Caroline or even Elijah or Stefan. I never chose to work for you…"

"That's right!" He interrupted with a snarl. "Because spoiled little daddy's girls don't get to make choices. Oh, woe is me, your life is so hard huh? Big, bad Damon Salvatore ruined your perfect little world right? I've heard it all before."

He slumped back, throwing his arms behind his head and gave her an all-knowing smirk.

"Let me guess princess. I bet you lived in a beautiful house, never wanting for anything, the apple of your parents' eye right? But they never really understood you. They controlled you with their silk pillows and vacations to Maui. They suffocated you and so when you went off to whatever big name college daddy's money paid for you spent everything he gave you on drugs and alcohol and clothes that helped you whore yourself out and when he finally got fed up and cut you off that's when you turned to us. The evil Salvatore Group. Your parents just loved you too damn much. God that must have _sucked_." He finished in a venomous flood.

He watched as she froze, looking like he had slapped her. Her breath stuck in her chest and her expression crumpled into a mask of sadness he refused to let touch him. At least her smile was gone.

"Am I wrong?" He snarled.

She just looked at him blankly, her mouth working soundlessly.

"_Am I wrong?_"

"So you don't know the details of your clients' problems?" She asked quietly.

"Of course not. That's Andie's job."

"Well you shouldn't make assumptions."

"I'm not assuming. I know."

"You know nothing! **Nothing!**" She screamed, her control suddenly cracking. Her eyes scrunched shut and her hands balled into fists. She was literally shaking with the force of her pain and anger, her breath coming too fast in her lungs.

"I love my parents! Maybe I did have a charmed life, but I appreciated it. Every second of it! And the one night I'm not the perfect little daughter, the one night I get drunk at a party and they have to pick me up, that's the night it all goes to hell!" She screamed, breathing heavily.

"You think you know so goddamn much? Well, let me clear a few things up for you, jackass. A drunk driver veered into our lane on our way home that one night. Some fucking idiot didn't bother to get a ride and his drunk ass drove our car off the road and into the guardrail on the Wickery Bridge! I can still remember the headlights blinding me, the sound of my parents' screams and the screech of tires. I can still remember the smell of sizzling gasoline. My mother shoved me out of the car _seconds_ before it went up in flames. After I finally got out of the hospital it was just me and my brother Jeremy. I took out your damn loan to make sure _he_ got into school!"

She paused, covering her mouth with her hands, trying to stem the angry tidal wave of words that flew helplessly past her lips. Her shoulders sagged. She burrowed into herself, wrapping both arms tight around her torso and taking a deep breath. Her dark eyes flashed to his, her expression pained and haunted and accusing.

"But yes. I guess you're right. I'm here and it's my own fault. But you're wrong, you're so _wrong_, if you think I don't blame myself. I blame myself every second of every day. And I would pay anything, _anything_, even an eternity in this hellhole, if I could just have them for five more minutes."

She made to leave. She couldn't be here anymore, library or no library. She threw a disgusted look over her shoulder and gave him one last parting shot.

"Next time you think you know someone, make sure you have your _**fucking**_ facts straight."

She left the room as quietly as she had entered. There was a hollowness in her wake that left him speechless, craving the light he was so sure he had needed to extinguish. He stared after her, his expression inscrutable.

Elena slowly made her way back to the first floor of the house. She managed to make it out the back door and around the corner of the house before she sunk down with her back against the wall and let the pain and the memories consume her in wracking sobs.

* * *

><p>Damon tore his tie off furiously, flinging it at a surprised Caroline who was folding clothes in his room. He had spent two hours sitting motionless in the library after she left, just thinking about what she said. There was no way it was true. No one was that much of a freaking saint. And even if it was true, why the hell did it matter to him?<p>

"Bad day?" Caroline asked.

Damon growled. "Who the hell does she think she is? She thinks she can talk to me like that, like I care what she's gone through? With her judgy little eyes just accusing me all the time."

"I assume we're talking about Elena?"

Damon grunted.

Caroline sighed, folding the tie carefully and putting it away. It was silk after all. "Have you actually tried talking to her?"

Damon opened his mouth to reply angrily but Caroline cut him off. "I don't mean teasing or arguing or trying to put her off balance. I mean actually talking. Trying to get to know her."

Damon scoffed. "Why the hell would I want to do something stupid like that?"

Caroline shook her head, smiling sadly at him. "You might be surprised. _She_ might surprise you. It doesn't sound like it would be the first time she has, now would it?"

Damon furrowed his brow, scowling at the ground as he tried to process what she was saying. He wasn't _nearly_ drunk enough for this conversation.

Caroline headed to the door, pausing to place her hand on his tense shoulder. "Start by trying to make her stay here more comfortable. Maybe give her one of the nicer guest rooms. God knows we have more than enough. It might just pay off in the long run."

She left, shutting the door softly behind her and leaving a very confused Damon alone with his thoughts.

* * *

><p><strong>And that does it for this chapter. What did you think of what Damon found out about Elena? Do you think it will change his mind at all? What did you think of the library scene? I tried to describe the library the way I imagine the library from Beauty and the Beast  My Ideal Library. I love libraries and books. Did you guys feel the magic?**

**On a personal note, last chapter's number of alerts was significantly smaller. I was a little disappointed considering how well the first two chapters did. Did I do something wrong in that chapter? If you have any ideas why this might happen let me know. I would hate to make the same mistake twice.**

**P.S. Did everyone see last week's episode at this point? I don't know whether to scream in happiness or frustration. We got the hottest make out between our fav characters yet, only to get more stalling and another argument. Though Rose's words to Jeremy definitely made me happy. What did everyone else think?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello my lovely readers! I know I must sound like a broken record, but I can't thank you all enough for your response to this story. I really wasn't expecting it. You are all awesome!**

**I know this chapter took a little longer than usual and I'm sorry about that. I have some really great excuses but I won't bore you with them. Instead, to make up for it, I give you an extra-long chapter with 2000 more words than usual. I can't wait to hear what you think. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Alaric rang the doorbell to Jeremy Gilbert's apartment, tapping his foot nervously. It was Monday now. They had had to postpone their meeting because of a teacher in-service day Alaric had forgotten about. It had been a long time since he had thought about the Salvatore Group, but finally the opportunity he had been waiting for was here. but now they could finally take the first steps toward ending the evil that had been plaguing this town for so long.<p>

Jeremy opened the door, looking just like a fearful, hopeful kid. God, he was only sixteen and living without his entire family.

"Hey man, I'm glad you made it." Jeremy said, smiling, doing an impressive job of looking just fine despite everything. "Come on in."

"Yeah of course. No problem." He said.

Jeremy went into the kitchen, calling back over his shoulder. "Sorry about the mess. Just make yourself comfy. You want a drink?"

"Uh, yeah, sure."

He walked into the apartment, looking around curiously. It was small, a bit messy but overall well-kept. That was probably leftover from when Elena was here. Teenage boys weren't exactly famous for their housekeeping skills. He turned to look at Jeremy, who had come back with two glasses.

"Sorry. We only have water. I'd give you something stronger if I could." Jeremy said sheepishly.

"I don't know if I ever said it, but I'm sorry about your sister. You shouldn't have to be handling all of this." Alaric blurted out suddenly.

Jeremy looked at him evenly, handing him his glass.

"I'll be fine. But thanks."

Alaric rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. How the hell was he supposed to do this? This kid was relying on him. Poor guy didn't know what a mistake that was.

"Right. Well…I guess we'll get right down to it." He said, sitting down on the worn, blue-gray couch.

Jeremy nodded, taking the chair and sitting forward intently, fisting his hands. He had a determined expression on his face that made Alaric nervous.

"Well, we could start by getting to know each other a bit. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful you've offered to help. Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without you. But the fact is I barely know you. For all I know you could be one of them, making sure I don't come after her. So, why don't you tell me how you know Damon Salvatore, huh?"

Alaric looked at Jeremy, his jaw set and his eyes haunted.

"He killed my wife."

"What?" Jeremy stuttered. That was not what he was expecting. This was worse than he thought. He had to get Elena out of there. Now.

Alaric sighed. He really didn't want to relive this. But he needed Jeremy to trust him. That was the only way this would work. So he spoke.

"Isobel. That was her name. She was a research assistant at the University. She was always a bit of a loose cannon, a bit too fond of a risk, and she was drawn to danger like a moth to flame. Don't ask me what she saw in me, since I'm not exactly bad boy material. I guess we balanced each other out."

He ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it back off of his forehead and taking a deep breath.

"I guess that's how it all started. Isobel was a workaholic and her favorite way to blow off steam was to go to the casino down by the wharf. I knew she went there a lot, but I didn't realize how bad things had gotten until it was too late. You see, just because Isobel liked to gamble didn't mean she was lucky. It got to the point where she was there when she was supposed to be researching, when she was supposed to be sleeping. I would wake up to an empty bed and a note that said she was working late. She was 175 grand in the hole and had already drawn up her contract with the devil himself, Damon Salvatore, before I even found out about it. She borrowed a hundred thousand dollars from him. She used seventy-five of it to pay off part of her loan, figuring she could make up the rest gambling the last twenty-five.

But she was wrong. She just built her debt up even further. Between the casino and the Salvatore Group, she was so stressed she could barely sleep. I watched as my wife turned into a quivering mess, so controlled by her anxiety that I barely recognized her. And there was nothing I could do. She wouldn't let me help, she even told me that she had paid everything back. I believed her. Then, one day, I came home from work to hear voices arguing. I heard the shot and ran into our bedroom to see him standing over her. I'll never forget his eyes. They were dead, emotionless. I would know those eyes anywhere. Anyway, he clocked me over the head with the butt of his gun. When I woke up he was gone. And so was her body."

Jeremy stared at him in stunned silence.

Alaric took a shuttering breath.

"So, now you know. These are dangerous people Jeremy. Merciless people. Especially Damon Salvatore. We could both end up dead if we go after them. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes." Jeremy said firmly. "She's my sister Alaric. I can't just leave her there to rot. She's there because of me."

Alaric nodded. "Alright then. Well, let me do some research. We'll need to get in there when the house is fairly empty in order to have any shot at getting your sister out."

Jeremy hummed in agreement.

"And Jeremy? When the time comes…Damon Salvatore is mine."

An uncomfortable silence grew between them until Alaric spoke again.

"You live here by yourself?"

Jeremy jumped. "Well yeah, now that Elena's gone. Our parents died a year ago so it's just been me and her. Honestly, I don't know what I'm gonna do if we don't get her back soon. One more trip to the grocery store and then I'm on the street." Jeremy said, chuckling with grim good humor.

Alaric clenched his fists angrily. This is what they did. This is what he did. Damon Salvatore ruined families and destroyed lives. And this boy, this child did not deserve to suffer the consequences. But could he do it? Could he take this boy and…

Before he knew it he heard his own voice saying, "You could stay with me. If you want."

Alaric mentally slapped himself when Jeremy looked at him like he had just sprouted horns and turned green with orange polka dots.

"Uh…really? I…I mean, you would do that?"

"Well…yeah." And Alaric realized he really would. He wasn't able to help her then, but he could help Jeremy now. And maybe that would be enough.

"Um, well, that's really nice of you, but I need to be here in case Elena comes home." Jeremy paused, scuffing his shoe against the threadbare carpet. "Y…you could stay here. Live here. Maybe?"

Alaric nodded. "I could. Do you think you'd be okay with that?"

Jeremy smiled. The first real smile Alaric had seen since he'd met Jeremy last week.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that." He grinned.

* * *

><p>Elena was busily dusting in the big lounge where she challenged Damon last Tuesday. It was Wednesday now. She had officially been a captive of the Salvatore group for a full week and not once had she seen Damon since she had so stupidly blurted her life story to him in a fit of righteous anger.<p>

She had been doggedly avoiding him ever since, going about her duties with a single-minded intensity that worried the rest of the staff and baffled Caroline. And he seemed to be doing the same. He hadn't once called her before him to make an example of his power again since that night.

And she was relieved. Definitely relieved.

Because it would be stupid to miss seeing someone you only argued with right? Especially if that someone kidnapped you and threatened you and essentially made your life a living hell. _Right?_

Right. That would just be stupid.

Instead she had been working with Bonnie, learning how to cook. That was interesting. Poor Bonnie. She was trying to cure the Gilberts of their chronic inability to cook through sheer willpower. Elena smiled. Even though she burned dish after dish Bonnie was adamant that she could 'fix' Elena.

Caroline was bubbly and carefree as usual, carrying on about fashion and boys and just generally lightening the gloomy mood in this giant house. Elena was probably most grateful for Caroline. She was a distraction when Elena's dark thoughts threatened to overwhelm her.

As far as Stefan went, Elena was convinced that he was pining after Caroline. Whenever they were in the room together he would send her longing looks, smiling bashfully whenever she addressed him. And he always seemed to be where she was. If Caroline was in the room, count on it, Stefan wouldn't be far behind.

Elena had also started self-defense training with Elijah. That was…enlightening. They had already had one session so far, but Elena already fully believed what Rose had said about him. He had shown her what everything was supposed to look like before he let her try. Every move he made was sure and powerful, smooth and clean. When he moved Elena found herself thinking again how sexy he was. Watching a man have such fine control of his body was incredibly seductive and she was positive that he had as much control off the battlefield as on.

And when he was teaching her he was brilliant, patient where he needed to be but still challenging her to go further than she thought she could. She had already learned a lot but their lessons showed how new she was. She was like a newborn colt with her knowledge, all stumbling limbs and quick starts and stops. It would take a while until she was useful in a real fight.

_Elena panted heavily, sweat dripping down her back and across her forehead, threatening to get in her eyes. Her blouse was draped over a nearby trellis, leaving her in slacks and a white undershirt. The sun beat down on her sore body and the smell of mown grass teased her nostrils. They had had a warm spell the past few days and the gardens were even more vibrant than usual._

_She tiredly threw a sharp cross punch, trying to imagine her arm hitting her foe's face. If the foe she imagined just happened to have piercing blue eyes that made her warm in all the best and worst ways, well, no one could blame her._

"_Good. Try to pivot from your hips though. That will give you more momentum. Remember, you use your whole body to punch, not just your arm." Elijah intoned for the twelfth time that hour._

_Elena nodded, not bothering to respond, and threw the punch again, trying to turn on the balls of her feet and throw her hips into it._

"_Better. Well done. Now, let's do another set of front kicks before we call it a day."_

_Elijah moved to stand in front of her, sinking into a defensive crouch._

"_Aim your kick so the ball of your foot hits where my abdomen meets my ribcage. Go on."_

_Elena looked at him skeptically._

"_But I'll hurt you."_

_Elijah looked at her with that amused look that drove her nuts. Like he was the big brother that knew better and she was just the foolish kid sister._

"_Elena, I promise you won't even scratch me. Now kick."_

_Elena sighed, shifting her weight quickly to her left foot and driving her right foot up and out to slam against Elijah's chest. He barely budged. She brought it back and reset into her stance, looking at him for approval._

"_Not bad. Plenty of control but you're still acting like each piece of the attack is separate from the last and like you are separate from your body. It all has to flow together, smooth like water and sharp like a whip-crack. That will give you the power you're lacking. And yes, I know it sounds ridiculous." He said before she could open her mouth._

"_Now, again!"_

He was a tough taskmaster, but Elena had complete confidence in him. It was hard not to. He just seemed so trustworthy, solid. She knew that he would make her strong.

She jumped when there was a loud thump and the sound of something rolling on the ground. She was so lost in her thoughts that she had knocked a decorative spyglass off of the cabinet and onto the floor.

She sighed, falling to her knees and crouching to peer under the cabinet. She squinted. The thing had rolled all the way against the wall. She flattened her cheek to the ground, the carpet rough against her skin, and stretched, fingers scrabbling on the round surface of the spyglass.

Her fingertips rubbed it, making it spin against the wall. She was finally able to get a grip on it, clutching it tight and grinning in triumph.

"Well isn't this interesting? What do we have here?" A deep voice drawled.

Elena jumped, yelping when her forehead banged the cabinet. She pulled the spyglass out and turned, still in her crouch, rubbing her forehead with her free hand and turning to see two men standing behind her. They were dressed like the men who kidnapped her and they stood between her and the door. They were also unashamedly staring at her ass, which, because of the way she was twisted, was standing perkily in the air.

She spun, plopping unto her bum and clutching the spyglass to her chest. They watched her as she rose slowly to her feet, reaching behind her to set the spyglass back on the cabinet. The way their eyes followed her gave her a tingly, slimy feeling that slid down her spin and made her shiver.

"Can I help you?" She asked cautiously.

"Oh I'm positive you can babe." The bigger one said, grinning lasciviously.

He was tall, with a broad forehead and dark, curly hair. His friend was a little shorter, a little leaner, with a more angular face.

She tilted her chin up, looking at them disdainfully. She threw as much of the former queen bee as she could into her voice when she spoke.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, don't tell me you haven't heard of us. I'm Tyler and this is my brother Mason." The smaller one said.

She blanched. The Lockwood brothers. Caroline had told her about them. _Shit._ Her heart started to pound in her chest.

"What do you want?" She asked sharply.

"Well, we thought you might like to play a game. We like games, don't we brother?" Mason said, glancing at Tyler with a grin.

"Definitely." Tyler replied, his eyes on Elena as she edged along the wall. They stalked her, matching her step for step, driving her towards the center of the room.

"Well, I'm busy. I have work to do. So, if you'll excuse me…" She said, trying to sound calm and sure.

"Oh, now don't be like that babe, it'll be fun I promise." Mason rumbled.

And suddenly Tyler was right there, right in front of her, moving so quickly that she gasped. He forced her to back up until she was pressed against the back of the big couch in the middle of the room. Her hands gripped the top of the couch until her knuckles were white.

Tyler raised a hand to brush her cheek but she shoved his arm away.

"Don't touch me!" She spat.

Tyler growled, grabbing her hair in his fist and yanking her head back until she was forced to bend over the couch.

"Careful sweetheart or we'll be playing a much rougher game than you'll like." Tyler growled.

She whimpered when his grip tightened, her scalp burning. He released her hair to trail a hand down her throat, his finger tracing the neckline of her blouse. It stopped where her cleavage peeked over her shirt, his eyes focused on the top button.

Elena's eyes were wide, darting everywhere to look for a way to escape. She saw Mason watching his brother with a sadistic light in his brown eyes. He started pacing towards them and she realized if she didn't move now then there would be no escape. She wished she had had more time with Elijah because everything he had taught her had completely flown out of her head.

Her breath started to come deep and fast in her lungs as Tyler's fingers curled around the top of her shirt. _Movenowmovenowmovenow!_ Her brain screamed.

She did the only thing she could think of. She raised her hand to slap Tyler, raking her nails violently across his cheek with a yell.

He reared back, clutching his cheek with his hand. "Stupid bitch!" He roared, backhanding her viciously to the ground.

Her cheek was on fire and her knees throbbed. She had to get out of here, right now. She jumped quickly to her feet and rushed for the door only to be yanked back and thrown against the wall.

She flailed wildly as Mason pinned her to the wall like a fly, lifting her off the ground and shoving his knee between her legs, making them useless. She battered his chest with her fists, ripping and scratching and punching anything she could reach.

"Let me go! Let me go!" She shrieked, her voice cracking.

"Shut the hell up!" Mason growled, his hand clapping over her mouth, muffling her screams.

His other hand ripped her shirt open, sending buttons clacking across the floor and leaving her upper body clad in only a thin cotton bra. He groped her breast crudely, rubbing himself against her, rough and disgusting. She squirmed, trying to melt into the wall.

"Oh yeah baby, just keep that up." He moaned, his breath hot in her ear. She froze. His tongue laved the shell of her ear and then he bit down hard, bringing tears to her eyes and making her thrash her head back and forth.

"Stop moving dammit!" He snarled, slamming her head against the wall. She saw stars, falling limp in his arms and his hands took the opportunity to grab and squeeze everywhere.

"Careful brother, don't damage the merchandise too much." Tyler said. She could hear the victory in his voice. "I still want my turn."

"Patience brother, let me have my fun." Mason replied without looking over his shoulder.

His eyes continued to follow the path of his hand as his finger traced her breast, pausing to pinch her nipple harshly through her bra. She screamed, biting her lip until hot copper blood flooded her mouth. She thrashed, battering him with her fists again.

He growled and grabbed her wrists in his free hand and shoving them above her head. Her shoulders throbbed in pain at the harsh angle and she was reminded suddenly of that first night in Damon's room. Yet somehow this was so much worse.

Mason ground his hips into hers again and she could feel his erection heavy on her thigh, bringing her rushing back to reality. She looked up at him, a plea in her eyes but he just smirked, enjoying her pain.

He grabbed her chin, holding her head immobile, and crashed his lips onto hers, shoving his tongue through her teeth. She coughed and spat, tossing her head until he simply moved to lick and bite her collarbone. She shuddered. She was well and truly trapped with no escape and no rescue.

Mason's other hand still trailed over her body, squeezing her small waist and tracing the line of skin right above the waistband of her slacks. When his fingers stopped to rest heavily on the button of her pants is when she gave up, clenching her eyes shut tight. Her brain shut down, the knowledge that she was about to be violated in the worst way possible echoing loudly in her skull.

She sagged in his arms and Mason chuckled darkly, sensing her surrender. His fingers popped the button open on her slacks. She felt hot tears start to run down her cheeks.

Suddenly Mason's pressing weight was gone and she slumped to the floor with a yelp. She could hear yells and crashes and looked up to see a black-clad body standing between her and the Lockwoods. Mason lay in the remains of a coffee table, splintered wood scattered all over him and an angry red mark on his cheek. He and Tyler both glared at the man before her.

The man in question glanced back over his shoulder at her, blue eyes glinting angrily as they took in her disheveled condition.

"Are you okay?" He asked in Damon's voice. Elena's head spun. Damon? It couldn't be Damon. But it was.

She stared at him blearily, unable to form words and his face grew even more furious if that was possible.

He faced front just as Mason and Tyler charged him together, roaring like animals.

They began fighting wildly as Elena watched them numbly. It all seemed so far away, like she was watching them battle on a movie screen.

Damon fought in a torrent of movement, seeming to be everywhere at once. His arms and legs flew in powerful kicks and punches, driving the brothers back time and time again. Still, he was fighting two against one and he couldn't defend against everything. She flinched every time the brother's landed a hit, but Damon seemed completely oblivious to his own pain. He fought with all of the grace of a panther and all the fury of a hurricane.

One of his kicks landed deep in Tyler's stomach, making him drop to his knees and retch. He wouldn't be getting up any time soon.

Damon turned his sole attention to Mason, who looked much the worse for wear. His clothes were torn, his hair a mess and he had cuts on most skin that Elena could see. He looked much less confident than when he only had Elena to worry about, but he clearly had no intention of letting Damon get in the way. The two faced off, circling each other and waiting for the right moment.

"What the fuck is wrong with you man? This is none of your business!" Mason yelled.

Damon glared at him, his eyes a dangerously dark blue and glinting in rage.

"You will not touch her. You'll never touch her again." Damon replied.

He lunged forward in a flash, throwing a one-two combo, his fists slamming first across Mason's cheek and then up under his chin. Mason dropped like a stone, moaning on the carpet. Damon immediately descended on him, his fists pounding into him over and over and over again, making a horrible, wet, crunching noise.

"Damon." Elena whimpered quietly. She glanced up in surprise when a crowd of people came crashing into the room, pressing herself even closer to the wall.

Stefan, Caroline, and Rose all crowded in the doorway, staring in horror at the scene before them. Caroline and Rose rushed to Elena, chattering worriedly to her, but Elena couldn't seem to hear what they said, her eyes staying locked on Damon.

Stefan was trying to get his cousin off of Mason.

"Damon! Damon stop! He's had enough!" Stefan yelled, trying to grab Damon's arm. Damon shook him off, snarling in fury.

"Damon!"

Damon looked at his cousin, his mind clouded. The only thing he could seem to understand was that Elena was hurt and it was Mason's fault. That meant Mason had to pay.

He looked at the man beneath him who squinted up through eyes that were already swollen shut. Damon leant down towards Mason, who flinched, cringing into the rug.

"Listen carefully you useless sack of shit. You and your sorry excuse for a brother are going to get the hell out of my house, get the hell out of my town for that matter, and never come back. And if I ever, **ever** hear that either of you have hurt another woman again, not just Elena but any woman, I will hunt you down and I will rip you to shreds. I'll make you feel every bruise, every slap, and every ounce of terror you ever inflicted until you will beg me for death."

Damon straightened, looking down coldly at the quivering, sniveling wretch on the floor. "Now. Get your brother and get the fuck out of my sight."

The brothers moved as quickly as they could with their injuries, scuttling out of the room. Damon didn't give them a second thought, instead turning to face Elena.

She stared at him with wide eyes, completely oblivious to Caroline and Rose on either side of her. Poor, battered angel. Seeing her clutching her blouse closed, the tear tracks on her face and bruises and cuts littering her creamy skin, made his heart ache. He walked slowly, carefully towards her, trying not to startle her with any sudden movements.

Elena watched him rise from battering Mason into the floor, looking like some vengeful angel, beautiful and terrible at the same time. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't seem to understand what was happening. Why did he bother? He had looked so furious but also so terrified and maybe even…worried? Could he have been worried about her? He walked toward her, his usually perfect clothes and hair ruined, his eyes burning as he looked at her. He took her breath away.

Before she could straighten out her rushing thoughts he was crouching before her, looking into her eyes intently. She jumped in surprise. He grimaced. Did he think she was afraid of him? His lips were moving. What lovely lips, full and pink. He was talking. Elena strained to understand his words. He was talking to the others, his eyes focused on her the whole time.

"Caroline, go get Bonnie. Tell her to bring the big first aid kit and a bowl of hot water to the room next to mine." He said.

"But…" Caroline interrupted skeptically.

His head whipped around to glare at her. "For once in your life don't argue. Just do as I say!" He snapped.

Caroline nodded, rushing out of the room.

"Rose, go clean up the room for Bonnie, new sheets, new towels, the works. Make sure it's ready in ten minutes. Stefan, get Elijah and make sure those two fuckers are off the property. Beat them, maim them, I don't care, just do whatever it takes to get them the hell out of here. Then both of you come back and stand guard outside the bedroom."

When the two of them hesitated, clearly wanting to stay and make sure that Elena was alright, his eyes flashed.

"Now!" He snarled. They jumped and ran off to do as he said, leaving Elena alone with her savior.

Damon turned back to Elena, addressing her slowly and carefully, his voice gentler than she had ever heard before.

"Elena. I need you to listen carefully to me, okay?" He asked.

She looked at him confusedly, managing to nod.

"I'm going to take you to a room with a bed so that you can rest and we can fix you up. I promise you'll be safe and you'll be much more comfortable. Do you think you can stand up for me?"

Elena tilted her head, still so befuddled. The air seemed to be ringing in her ears. Stand up? He wanted her to stand up. She could do that.

She rose slowly to her feet, leaning heavily on the wall. The floor seemed very far away and her head felt heavy and cloudy, like her skull was full of cotton balls. She was impressed by how one Damon had managed to turn himself into three. She would have to ask him about that trick. Still, every one of them was so pretty she thought, right before the world grayed around the edges and she fell into a strong pair of arms. A deep voice was calling her name and she could feel silky cloth under her cheek. Then everything went black.

* * *

><p>Elena woke up slowly, like rising up out of deep water. She didn't want to wake up. Everything here was warm and soft and quiet. Things were loud before. Things hurt and she didn't want to go back. But she kept rising out of the water, the blackness in front of her eyes turning gray and then tan. She could hear voices around her, talking softly.<p>

"…bruises and cuts on most of her body, torn ear, torn lip, and maybe a concussion. It could have been much worse, but she was still pretty thoroughly beaten. She's lucky you got there when you did."

That was Bonnie's voice, sure and concerned.

Elena's eyelids fluttered, trying to see Bonnie. Bonnie was okay. Bonnie wouldn't ask too many questions.

Elena opened her eyes to see three people. Bonnie sat on the edge of the bed beside her talking to Damon, who stood a few feet from the bed, his whole posture reading 'tense'. Caroline stood off to the side, for once being very quiet.

She tried to sit up, immediately groaning and falling back against the pillows. She lifted her hand, which seemed very heavy, to her throbbing head. All eyes in the room snapped to her.

"Elena!" Bonnie exclaimed, smiling gently. "Welcome back. We were all so worried about you."

"Where am I? How did I get here?" She croaked. Her voice was completely gone from screaming.

"You're in the guest bedroom next to Damon's. He carried you here after you passed out. How are you feeling?"

Elena quirked her eyebrow.

Bonnie's smile grew. "I know, stupid question. Can you tell us where the pain is the worst?"

Well that was easy. "My head hurts a lot. They…I mean, it hit the wall a few times. My ear hurts too." She answered.

"Bonnie." Damon said, looking at her significantly.

Bonnie gave Elena a concerned glance before getting up and making room for Damon to kneel at the bedside.

Elena looked at him nervously. His expression was so dark. Was he mad at her? That just wouldn't be fair. It wasn't her fault that they attacked her. And he trashed the room himself.

"Elena." He said, his voice rough with some emotion she couldn't identify. God, he had a beautiful voice, smooth and sultry like jazz music. "I need to check you to see the extent of your injuries okay?"

"Okay…" Elena replied cautiously.

Damon looked at her, his eyes serious. "I'll have to touch you. Is that alright?" He asked.

She hesitated for a second, but not for the reason he thought. After he saved her she wasn't worried that he would hurt her. That just wouldn't make sense. She was more worried about her inexplicable reaction to him.

Every time he got close to her, arguing or otherwise, she just found herself getting so…so…flustered that it was almost impossible to ignore. Right now her emotions were so fried that she wouldn't be able to hide any reaction she might have to him. And with the adrenaline running high in her blood and the awe and gratitude she was currently feeling towards him she was positive that she would react.

"Can't Bonnie do it?" She asked.

Damon's eyes darkened and Elena immediately felt bad.

"She could. But she doesn't have as much…first aid experience as I do." He explained. "It would really be best if I checked you. I promise you'll be safe." He said, his voice so sincere that she really had no choice.

She nodded carefully, wincing as her head throbbed again.

He stood, leaning over her and carefully reaching out to run his hands over her limbs, squeezing gently and leaving a warm trail in his wake. Elena closed her eyes, trying to will the sudden heat and comfort he brought away. Her emotions were just so frazzled and she was so tired, she couldn't do this right now. She couldn't be feeling this way about this man.

Damon's fingers stopped over the hem of her shirt and he looked at her for permission. She nodded and he slowly opened her blouse, running his hands on her ribcage. She watched as his jaw clenched when he saw the extent of the bruises that covered her torso and bled onto her back.

He covered her again, lastly moving his hands to her forehead. She winced when he brushed a particularly sensitive spot and he sucked in a deep breath. He forced himself to be even gentler, his touch feather-light. He swept the tips of his fingers along her hairline, down her cheek to her neck and brushed her hair back onto the pillow.

Her eyes stayed locked on his, just watching him as his brow furrowed in concern and concentration. The confusingly gentle, dangerously wonderful side of him was back again and she could feel heat spreading over her whole body. His hand stopped its slow trail to pause on her shoulder. His cerulean orbs locked on hers and his whole body froze except for his thumb which rubbed soothing circles on her collarbone. She stared back, her chocolate pools warm and questioning. The heat spread from her body and gathered in the space between them, mixing and pooling with the fire she was sure came straight from his eyes. His pupils dilated, making his eyes dark and hungry and yet she wasn't scared, she felt completely safe here in this moment with him.

His body swayed towards hers and back again, wavering like a tree in the wind before he shuddered abruptly and leaned back, breaking the spell. He straightened again, rubbing his palms on his thighs like he was trying to get rid of the feel of her. He stepped away from her, his expression turning guarded.

Bonnie and Caroline were looking at them curiously, confused by the surprisingly intimate moment.

Damon drew a shuddering breath and managed to put a sentence together. "Well, there's no broken bones, I checked." He turned to Bonnie. "Just make sure she takes some Advil and goes to sleep. Tell Elijah she won't be working tomorrow. And tell him I want to speak to him first thing in the morning." He paused. "And make sure Andie and Rose know that Elena will be staying here from now on."

Elena looked at him in surprise. Why would he do that?

Damon spared one last glance for Elena before turning to leave. Her quiet voice stopped him, lilting like beautiful music through the air.

"Damon?"

He turned halfway back to look at her.

Her eyes were intense on his, a little half smile gracing her perfect lips.

"Thank you. For saving me." She whispered.

He nodded slowly before rushing out of the room.

Elena's watched him as he all but fled, the door clicking softly behind him. Bonnie moved to resume her place on the bedside, holding Elena's hand gently.

Elena looked at Bonnie, her mind suddenly reeling back to what had happened today. Her lower lip began to quiver. It was all too much.

"Bonnie." She choked, her eyes welling with tears.

Bonnie's heart broke for her. "Oh Elena sweetie."

Elena collapsed into Bonnie's lap, curling up and letting her sobs consume her. She had reached her limit, all of the emotions and adrenaline from the day pushing her to the brink of hysteria. She just cried and cried and let Bonnie shush her softly and rub soft circles onto her back until the welcome black numbness of sleep finally claimed her.

* * *

><p>Damon paced the confines of his personal study with a tumbler full of bourbon clutched in his fist, his face a thundercloud. They touched her. They hurt her. If he hadn't gotten there when he did…he shuddered.<p>

He had spent most of the week after speaking to her in the library thinking about Elena Gilbert. He had gotten her file from Andie and found out that everything she said was true. He had never felt so low and found himself wishing he could make it up to her. No, it was more than that, he wanted to make things better for her. He didn't want her to be sad anymore. And that worried him. That's why he had avoided her.

He didn't understand why she affected him this way. He was cold, pitiless, completely able to separate himself from other people's distress. But Elena, Elena made him feel.

He would never forget the chill that passed over him when he heard her pained cry. And then the flood of cold fury when he saw Mason pinning her to the wall, her perfect skin bared for the bastard's eyes. Her face was scrunched up in pain and disgust and she was cringing into the wall, completely immobilized. It wasn't even a conscious thought for him. They had to hurt.

He spun suddenly and yelled, throwing his tumbler into the wall and sweeping everything off of his desk with a crash. He shouldn't care, why did he care? He was furious and confused, which only made him more furious. How dare they touch her? How dare they damage what he was quickly realizing was perfection?

When he was done beating the living shit out of Mason there she was, pitiful and shattered and all he wanted in the world was to scoop her into his arms and wipe her tears away and hide her somewhere where no one could ever hurt her again. To be alone with her somewhere far away where no one could ever find them was suddenly something he wanted very badly. And he realized that there would be no avoiding her anymore. And that he would never hurt her again. This combative, strong, stubborn, broken, loving girl had gotten in his head and he couldn't shake her. After today he wasn't even sure he wanted to.

With this new realization running around in his skull, Damon was left wondering what the fuck he had just done.

* * *

><p><strong>And that concludes the wonderful chapter five of Get Your Money's worth. What did you guys think? I'm very nervous about it. Do you think Damon and Elena are moving together too suddenly? I hope everything felt natural. Do you think this'll be a turning point for Damon and Elena or will they go into defense mode and push each other away? I guess we'll have to wait and see. Next chapter will introduce some new characters and some new issues so stay tuned!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hi everyone. Once again your response completely blew me away. We made it to 100 reviews last chapter! I can't believe it! Thank you so much! Virtual cookies for everyone!**

**This chapter was really hard to write in part because of the finale. I really can't decide how I feel and it's affecting my attitude towards Delena in general. I can't believe we have to wait until the fall for season four. I'm very worried about where our favorite couple, and the show in general, is going. But I won't waste your time with my opinions. If anyone wants to chat about the finale or the show in general, feel free to message me. Also, the amazing LoveEpicLove has written a wonderful commentary on where she thinks the show will go in the seasons to come on her livejournal page. I highly suggest you read it. It made me feel so much better.**

**Lastly, I wanted to give you all a heads up. Starting this week I have finals, immediately followed by (OMG!) my college graduation. Then the day after graduation I have to be moved out of my house and only a few days later some friends and I are going to the beach for a week. So, I'm not gonna have a lot of time to write and it might be a few weeks until my next update. I'll keep writing and I'll try to update once in there but if I can't, well that's why and I'm sorry.**

**Sorry for the extra-long note, without further ado here's chapter 6.**

* * *

><p>Elena opened her eyes to pale sunlight slanting across her face like watered-down lemonade. She had led a restless night, never really sleeping, just sort of catnapping while dangerous thoughts swirled incessantly in her head. Images of Mason and Tyler bled into the faceless drunk driver on the worst night of her life before morphing into the horrified faces of her parents. She took turns either waking in a cold sweat, tossing and turning to dispel her mental demons, or clenching her eyes shut for one more glimpse of her mother and father. Needless to say, she was exhausted.<p>

But no matter what path her musings took through the night, they always spun back to Damon.

He was so perplexing. All they ever did was argue (and pretend their exploding lust for each other didn't exist) and he had made his contempt for her clear.

So why had he saved her?

She had felt a shift in that pregnant space between them last night as he was checking her injuries, but she had no idea where it would lead. And she had seen the same bafflement in Damon's eyes as he ducked out of the room like the walls were closing in on him.

She sat up when she heard a knock at the door, wincing at the pain in her back and shoulders and wishing for some medicine or maybe a massage. She settled herself against the headboard.

"Come in." She called quietly.

To her surprise, Damon entered the room balancing a tray with various plates and cups on his left hand.

He offered her a stiff smile. "Mornin'." He rumbled.

"Good morning." She murmured, giving him a tentative smile in return. Once again she was confused. What was he doing here?

He walked over to her bedside and set his tray on the end table. It was laden with a still-steaming breakfast that made her mouth water. She hadn't even realized she was hungry. There was an omelet, hash browns, bacon, toast, fresh berries, cool water, and, the ultimate comfort, a rich mug of hot cocoa complete with marshmallows. How had he known that always made her feel better?

She examined him as he busied himself with opening a bottle. His hair was still sleep-tousled.

He wore a cotton t-shirt and pajama pants slung dangerously low on his hips. He must have come straight from his bed to bring her breakfast.

_How weird. If someone had told me a week ago that Damon Salvatore would be bringing me breakfast in bed I would have asked for some of whatever they were on._

He turned to her, watching her with guarded eyes. He extended his hand. She looked down curiously to see two little white pills. Her eyes flicked to his with a question in them.

"Ibuprofen." He explained.

She broke into a wide smile. "My hero. My head is killing me."

She scooped up the capsules and tossed them back, taking the glass of water he offered her with a grateful nod.

He observed her surreptitiously, automatically analyzing how she moved. She did seem a little stiff, probably due to bruising and sore muscles. But overall she looked better than he had expected after last night's close call.

She sat straight and tall, relaxing against the mound of pillows at her back. She was draped in an oversize t-shirt that Damon suspected Caroline had cajoled Stefan into lending her. Its bagginess did nothing to conceal her luscious curves. He experienced a surprising flash of jealousy at the idea of Elena in Stefan's clothing.

_She's mine!_ He thought possessively. _Stefan be damned, she's mine._

_But she's not yours. You have no claim on her. Besides, I thought you didn't want her._

He groaned mentally, resisting the urge to bang his head against the wall.

_I don't. Definitely don't. She'd be a good lay that's all. I haven't had sex in way too long. So, yeah, that's all I was saying._

He ran his eyes up and down her curves, letting the welcome fire of his desire drive away those niggling thoughts that told him he was full of shit.

He gulped when his eyes landed on her throat and stopped, zeroing in on the delicate column. Her muscles worked as she guzzled water, her head thrown back and her eyes closed. She made a small sound of satisfaction deep in her throat, making him clench his fists.

_Yup, she'd definitely be a good lay. Does she have any idea what that looks like?_

In one of his dizzying mood swings he suddenly felt bad for thinking about her like that after what had almost happened yesterday, embarrassment jolting through him. He was supposed to be comforting her and checking on her injuries, not ogling her.

But, why should he feel bad? When had he ever, _ever_ felt guilty for being turned on by a woman? He shouldn't feel bad; he should just feel horny, right? He ran his fingers through his hair, grunting out loud in frustration.

Could you develop bipolarity that only flared up around one person?

He forced himself to focus, willfully pushing his growing (literally) arousal to the back of his mind. He'd deal with that later.

Privately.

Right now he definitely didn't need her seeing how turned on he was. He turned his attention to the lovely brunette next to him.

She was watching him curiously, her head cocked to one side and her empty glass cradled in her lap. Her eyes were deep pools that threatened to suck him in.

He thought randomly that would have to bring a rope or something the next time he saw her, because he was pretty sure he would float away without something to anchor him when she looked at him like that. Like she was trying to unearth all of his secrets.

Part of him wasn't sure he would mind.

"So, don't take this the wrong way, but why are you here?" She asked, interrupting his rambling thoughts.

Damon's eyebrows rose, a curious discomfort wriggling in his chest rather close to his heart.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No?" She said, managing to make it sound more like a question.

He looked at her skeptically.

"No." She said firmly. "It's just…you…you brought me breakfast."

She looked so adorably baffled that he couldn't help but grin.

"Well, as your attending physician it's my responsibility to make sure you make a full recovery. Besides I needed to check your wounds. If you're feeling poorly I would be more than happy to do a _thorough_ examination." He drawled, waggling his eyebrows.

She giggled, rolling her eyes. "Pfft. You never quit do you?"

"Nope. Now, get rid of those covers. Can't very well give you a check-out…I mean check- up…if I can't see you."

She chose to ignore his 'slip of the tongue'; he had saved her after all. And she was pretty sure he was just trying to distract her from whatever had been in his expression when she had been taking her pills.

Yeah, she had noticed.

She let him peel back the comforter and look her over, once again feeling her limbs and checking the lump on her head. She liked how sure he was, his brow furrowed in concentration. All joking was gone as he ran his eyes and his (incredibly warm) hands over her body.

He tutted in concern, grabbing band-aids and proceeding to bandage each and every scrape he found, from her knees all the way to her pinky finger, paying special attention to each blemish that marked her.

He really was a bucket of contradictions. She could _not_ figure him out at all.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, dabbing at a cut on her forehead with sterilizer.

"Fine." She replied. She reached for the cotton swab. "Here, give it to me, I can do it."

He swatted her hands away, glaring at her sternly.

"Elena. You were attacked by my employees. The least I can do is apply first aid. Now, don't downplay anything. Are you feeling dizzy, nauseous?"

She sighed, resigning herself to letting him have his way. How did he always manage to do that?

"I guess I'm a little dizzy. But that just might be exhaustion. My boss is kind of an ass." She quipped.

Damon glanced at her in surprise. Her face was innocently blank but there was a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

Wait.

Did Elena Gilbert, source of his frustrations, public underminer of his authority, just…tease him?

He smirked.

"I'll have to have a chat with him. Maybe I can convince him to give you some time off." He replied, winking at her.

She nodded seriously. "I'd appreciate that. Let me know what he says."

"Will do."

He cocked his head, like he was listening to someone speak.

She looked at him curiously.

"He says you have the day off. He wants me to tell you to take it easy today. Stefan and Caroline will be around to keep you company and help you get around. And he says you better be feeling better by tomorrow because you're right back to work. He wouldn't want you to think he's gone soft now." Damon said, his face growing serious at the end.

He rose off of the bed. It was definitely time to leave. Things were getting too…honest. He headed towards the door. "Eat your breakfast."

"No, wait!"

Her hand shot out before she could stop herself, wrapping her fingers around his wrist. He froze in shock, trying desperately to control his expression. She was touching him.

Willingly.

His wrist was tingling strangely like it had fallen asleep and he would have paid a very large sum of money to make sure she kept her fingers right where they were.

_Fuck. Me._

He had to get away from this girl.

She could feel his blood pumping under her fingertips. His skin was smooth and so very, very warm. She immediately jerked her hand back as if stung, heat suffusing her face.

He turned back to look at her, his face guarded.

"Yes?"

Her eyes were focused on her lap, her fingers weaving themselves together. "Uh, I just…never mind.

His brow furrowed. "What?"

"Nothing. Just…thank you. For breakfast I mean. And for last night."

He looked at her curiously. He must think she was a babbling idiot. She couldn't even manage to string two words together.

"Riiiight. Okay then." He headed out of the room.

"Oh! Could you ask Caroline to come in? If you don't mind."

He waved, not turning around. "Yeah sure." The door clicked softly behind him.

What was wrong with her? Joking and talking with him like they were old friends, what was she thinking? Remember who he is Elena!

_He kidnapped you. He kidnapped you. He kidnapped you._ She thought furiously, trying to remind herself who she was dealing with.

_Yeah but he also saved you._ That annoyingly honest voice on her shoulder argued.

_So? That doesn't undo everything he's done!_

_And he brought you breakfast._

_Yeah…that was pretty sweet…no! This is Damon! Stop thinking like this!_

_He came straight from bed to check up on you._

_Yes but…he was just doing what he thinks is his responsibility…_

_Not to mention he's god-fucking-damn gorgeous. I mean, he had you practically salivating just by touching his wrist. His wrist! And didn't it feel good?_

…_Yeah…it did._

She couldn't even explain what compelled her to grab his wrist, but as soon as she felt the heat of him, the silky softness of him, she had forgotten the real question she wanted to ask him.

The only thing she had wanted to do in that moment was run her fingers over his skin. She was fascinated by how someone so hard and abrasive could be so smooth and gentle to the touch. The urge to explore and discover his warmth had jolted through her like a flash burn.

She had had to consciously stop herself from stroking him.

What was this power he seemed to have over her whenever they were within two feet of each other?

He seemed to dissolve all of her defenses and rationality and reduce her to a babbling pile of hormones and repressed desire. Every time she spoke to him she had to fight to stay logical, to stay aloof. If things continued as they were, how would she ever resist his allure?

Because obviously she had to resist him.

There was no chance they could ever be anything to each other.

None.

He was her captor, the root of all her suffering. He was the reason Jeremy was alone. He saw her as a business investment, as return on his capitol, that's why he was taking care of her.

Never mind the emotion she sometimes saw in his eyes. It was nothing. Damon Salvatore did not _feel_.

Especially not for her.

_Yeah right, keep telling yourself that, just like you tell yourself denial is only a river in Egypt._

_Shut up goddammit! He doesn't care about me and I feel nothing for him and that's the way it's going to be!_

Her increasingly disturbing internal argument was interrupted when a blonde head popped through a crack in the door, immediately followed by its owner.

"Hey Elena!" Caroline called, bouncing happily to perch on the side of her bed. "How's it going?"

"Hi Care. I'm doing okay, how're you?"

"Fine I guess. Just Damon being a butt munch as usual. I mean seriously, he practically dragged me in here from the other end of the manor. Is it really so much to ask for a little common courtesy? Honestly, he's such a caveman, use your words why don't you?" She ranted.

Elena gaped. "Really? He did all that? I just asked him to ask you to visit me…sorry about that."

Caroline gulped back whatever she was going to say next and gave Elena an appraising look before shrugging. "Whatever, I'm over it. So, what's up? Why did you want to see me?"

Elena flushed, looking down at her lap and twiddling her thumbs. "Oh, you know, just…girl talk and stuff…"

Caroline raised her eyebrows.

"_Uh_ huh. Yeah right. C'mon, what's really going on? Oh! Did you and Damon finally jump each other? I swear it was only a matter of time before all that sexual tension exploded, I mean honestly, can you say repressed, cuz you guys were _**repressed**_."

"What!" Elena shrieked, her head snapping up in alarm.

"Caroline no! That definitely did not and will not happen. Like ever. Puh-lease." Elena scoffed, chuckling nervously.

Caroline gave her a knowing look. "Fine. Whatever. If you wanna keep telling yourself you two aren't a match don't let little old me stop you."

Elena blushed, her eyes focusing on her lap again.

When it became clear that Elena wasn't going to continue the conversation Caroline, in her super-tactful way, decided to get this show on the road.

"Sooooo, if that's not what you wanted to talk to me about, then what is it?"

Elena glanced at her nervously. Caroline repressed the urge to roll her eyes. Really, this girl could go toe to toe with Damon in an argument. She had no right to be so skittish.

"It's kind of…awkward."

Caroline smirked. "Elena honey, this is me you're talking to. If you can't do awkward with me, who can you do it with? Other than our fearless leader of course." She added as an afterthought, throwing Elena a wink.

Elena groaned. "Care please, be serious for one minute okay?"

"I will if you'll just spit it out already!" Caroline exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

"I will, just let me talk!"

Caroline mimed zipping her lips and looked at Elena expectantly.

"Okay, it's just…why did he save me? He doesn't even like me. I'm just a business transaction, and an obnoxious one at that. So why did he bother?"

"Good lord girl, and you're trying to tell me you _don't _feel anything for him. Go sell that somewhere else, cuz I'm not buying."

"Oh god Caroline, please just drop it already. There is not and will never be anything between me and Damon okay? Now answer my question goddammit!" Elena exclaimed, finally growing frustrated with her friend's persistence.

"Geez! Okay fine, no need to bite my head off. Not that I believe you, but whatever."

"Let's see, how to explain this." Caroline mused, tapping her lips with a perfectly manicured finger.

"Well, I'm sure you've figured out by now that Damon is…complicated. I know he's incredibly offended by the idea of rape in general. He's of the philosophy that if you can't get laid honestly then you don't deserve to have sex at all. There's a solid chance that's all it was."

"But he just seemed so _furious_, which is what's confusing me because he's made it quite clear that he doesn'teven like me." Elena insisted.

"Well, you don't exactly make it easy for him. But Damon has had a…difficult history in general and with women specifically, so it's really not completely your fault. He definitely was prejudiced against you just for being female. His last real relationship royally fucked him over and he hasn't been the same since. He wasn't always the brutal, alcoholic, womanizer we all know and love. He wasn't even going to lead the Salvatore Group for that matter. It was going to die with his father. I bet the rumors didn't tell you that."

"No. They didn't" Elena whispered, shocked. "So what happened?"

"Eh, you'd have to get the full story from him. I only know the gist of it."

Elena looked at her silently, just waiting.

Caroline huffed.

"Okay fine. I'll tell you what I know. So, four years ago Damon was a young, handsome, brilliantly promising pre-med student. He wanted nothing to do with the empire of blood and pain that his father had built. They had huge arguments about it. Giuseppe wanted Damon to continue the 'family business', accused him of being ungrateful for the money that let him go to his fancy school and wear the designer clothes he loved so much. But Damon was sweet and idealistic and, truthfully, a bit of a romantic. He wanted to make a name for himself by helping people, not hurting them and exploiting them like his father did. Don't get me wrong, he could still be a mischievous, way-too-clever-for-his-own-good, doesn't-know-when-to-keep-his-mouth-shut, first rate ass, but it wasn't nearly as bad. He was actually a good person.

But then he fell in love. With a woman named Katherine. He's frustratingly close-mouthed about it, so if you manage to get the full story from him, let me in on it. I do know that it was love at first sight for him. But he wasn't her only suitor. Katherine liked to have her cake and eat it too. She had a bunch of men after her; all of them convinced that she loved them and them alone. By the time she had her favorites picked there was a love quadrangle or octagon or whatever geometric shape you like.

When she refused to pick, even going so far as to have them all together, things got messy. One of her lovers knew about Damon, or more specifically his father. He was part of a rival mob family and warned Damon if he didn't back off there would be consequences. Damon being Damon of course he refused to back down, truly believing that he was the one that Katherine would ultimately choose. That bitch had him so twisted around that he didn't know up from down.

A week later Giuseppe was dead and Damon was in all-out war with his rival. He was forced to either take over his father's legacy or die. Damon made the choice he thought would let him keep Katherine. The rest is history." Caroline finished.

"Wow." Elena breathed. She couldn't believe how much Damon had changed in four short years. Who would have ever thought he could have been anything other than the cold, calculating crime lord he was today. Why, if she had met him back then, she probably would have liked him.

"Wait, but how did it all work out? Who did Katherine pick? If she loved Damon why aren't they together? And what happened to his rival?"

Caroline sighed. "I honestly don't know. I only know how he got where he is today. But Damon's not talking, so I wouldn't expect those answers anytime soon."

Elena groaned. She hated an incomplete story. It was like a good book ending right at the climax. Dammit.

"But Elena?"

Elena looked up at Caroline wide-eyed, still processing everything she had just heard.

"No matter what you think, don't ever make the mistake of believing that Damon feels nothing for you. Because he does. Feel I mean. You should give him a chance to show it."

* * *

><p>Midnight found Damon reclining at his desk and appreciating the way the light reflected off of his tumbler full of bourbon as he reflected on what happened in Elena's room this morning.<p>

She was really getting under his skin with her big eyes and her…goodness. He hadn't felt so much in such a long time. He had buried any and all feelings behind a wall of regret and pain and he had done it because he had to. He would have gone mad otherwise.

But then she came along and started chinking away at his armor and he couldn't build it back up fast enough.

He looked up when he heard the door open to see Elijah slipping smoothly into the room.

"Ah, good. What do you have for me old friend?" Damon asked.

Elijah sat stiffly into a chair, his expression serious. He raked his disheveled hair off of his forehead, exhaling heavily.

"I'm afraid it's a mixed bag. The Lockwood brothers have been expunged as you requested. We…escorted them over the state line and dumped them on the side of the highway. They should not be back."

"Good, good." Damon replied, nodding in satisfaction. He went back to studying his bourbon, waiting for Elijah to speak again.

"All of the pickups went as scheduled, though our client base continues to decrease as clients repay their debts."

Damon waved his hand carelessly. "It'll pick up again, it always does."

"Indeed…" Elijah replied, looking skeptical.

Damon rolled his eyes. Eli really was a great spymaster, but he could be such a stiff sometimes. Was Damon honestly the only one in this house with a sense of humor, a sense of joie de vivre?

Eli shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat, immediately catching Damon's attention. Any unnecessary movement from Elijah was such a rarity, something had to be up.

Good. He needed some adventure. Something to get his mind off of _Elena Gilbert_ goddammit.

"There is some bad news sir." Elijah admitted haltingly.

Damon sighed. "Just spit it out Eli, so we can deal with it and be done."

"He's back sir."

Damon's eyes widened.

"What!" He shouted, standing up so abruptly his chair fell back and he slammed his hands on his desk.

"Please tell me you're not saying what I think you're saying."

Elijah stood regally, folding his arms behind his back. He looked Damon dead in the eye, his expression dismal.

"Klaus is back."

* * *

><p>Damon glared at Elijah. "Get the household together in the drawing room. You know who I mean. I want everyone there in two minutes. Two minutes. And make sure the Gilbert girl is there. Now go!"<p>

Elena stumbled out of her room, rubbing her eyes blearily, at the sound of thundering footsteps. The hallway was in uproar, people running back and forth in frantic disarray, most of them in their pajamas. She grabbed Bonnie by the arm as she passed at a trot, yanking her to a stop.

"What's going on?" She yelled over the din.

"Nobody knows. But it's something bad. Damon is furious. He's summoned most of us to an emergency staff meeting in the big lounge." Bonnie gushed in a flood.

"Oh. Well I suppose that doesn't include me right?"

"Uh…probably not? I guess."

"Ah Miss Elena, there you are."

The women looked up to see Elijah had joined them, a calm, genial smile on his face.

He crooked his arm, extending it to Elena.

"Shall we?" He asked.

"Huh?"

"Please allow me to escort you to the meeting." He said, inclining his head deferentially.

"Wait, I'm supposed to come? But I'm just a client."

"Indeed." Elijah agreed.

Elena sighed, slumping her shoulders. She looped her arm through Elijah's, grabbing Bonnie's hand in her free one.

"Let's go!" She said with false enthusiasm.

* * *

><p>Elena looked around the lounge. Most of the staff was there, but almost none of the Group members themselves were present with the exception of Stefan. In addition to Elijah and Bonnie, Caroline, Rose, and Andie rounded out their little powwow.<p>

Damon himself sat in the big leather chair at the head of the room, glowering darkly at his shoes.

Andie cleared her throat, making Damon snap his head up. He looked around the room like he was surprised to see everyone there. _He was in a whole other world just now._

Damon shook his head, sitting up and pushing his sleeves up past his elbows.

"Right then. We've had some news. Some rather upsetting news that will be putting the Salvatore Group on alert for the foreseeable future."

"What's going on Damon?" Rose demanded, her brows furrowed in concern.

Damon huffed, running his fingers through his thick, black hair frustratedly.

"I guess I should start from the beginning. Most of you here know my history, how I became head of the Salvatore group."

He looked pointedly at Elena.

"Actually…we all know it. What you've told us anyway." Caroline piped up sheepishly.

Damon glared at her, rolling his eyes. "Okay fine, I guess that makes things simpler."

He took a deep breath.

"As you know, I was…encouraged to take over the company by a romantic rival. This man's name was Klaus. He swore to…eliminate his competition for Katherine's affection. If she wouldn't choose him he damn well wasn't going to let her choose anyone else. As far as I know I am the only rival still surviving from that time. He's been gone for a long time and I had dared to hope he had finally let things go. But just in case, at my request Elijah has been keeping an eye on him. Eli?"

Elijah stood, straightening his tie.

"Klaus, born Niklaus Mikaelson, has spent the last two years making a name for himself and his organization, the Originals, as the most violent and ruthless illegal organization in the Midwest and south. Perhaps in the entirety of the United States. He and his band of misfits will take any job, no matter how twisted, from child trafficking to forcing locals to pay them for 'protection'.

He has had the support of his sister Rebekah and his cousin Kol, both of whom are no walk in the park. You do not want to be down a dark alley alone with any of these people. They will gut you as soon as look at you.

However, Klaus is the true danger. He is sadistic and revels in his victim's misery. His favorite method of getting what he wants is forcing his victims to make impossible choices, such as choosing between the lives of two loved ones.

Together these three have been building a veritable army of followers. We had begun to believe that they were content with the territory, and reign of fear, they currently controlled. However, Klaus has a conqueror's and a dictator's disposition. He dreams of total domination. If he can take down the Salvatore group while achieving it, even better. He is cutting a swath to the northeast. He is coming here. And we must be ready."

Damon spoke up.

"If any of you want out I'll understand. Klaus is not your fight and no one will blame you for leaving." Damon's cerulean gaze rested heavily on Elena as he said this, making her gulp her breath in her throat.

"However, there is a solid chance you will actually be safer here. When he takes me down he's not just going to leave Mystic Falls alone. You can be sure of that. If you all do choose to stay, Eli and I have a plan. So, if you're leaving, speak now."

Elena looked around the room, watching the decision being made behind everyone's eyes. Rose wrung her hands nervously, taking an unconscious step closer to Elijah, who stood straight and sure by Damon's shoulder. Bonnie gazed at her lap, her expression inscrutable. Caroline let out a hysterical giggle before clapping her hand over her mouth.

Finally Stefan stepped forward, resting a hand on Caroline's shoulder. He looked at Damon, his face determined.

"I could not abandon you cousin. It didn't destroy us then and it won't now. I'll fight with you."

Caroline grabbed Stefan's hand. "Me too."

Bonnie nodded, standing. "I'm in."

"Of course we'll help you Damon." Rose added.

The whole group crowded around Damon, who had an expression similar to awe. That left Elena standing alone directly across from them, from Damon, still dumbstruck.

Everyone's eyes turned to her.

Damon looked at her, his eyes dark with something akin to defeat floating in them. "You could leave now. I wouldn't stop you." He laughed humorlessly. "Chances are I'll be dead in a few weeks anyway. Then you wouldn't have to worry about your debt."

Elena stared at him, completely speechless. She was on the precipice of a decision that could change everything, that could free her and she hesitated.

"Elena?" Caroline prompted, her brow furrowing in confusion.

Clearly she couldn't understand. She already considered Elena a part of their family after a scant week and a half. But she wasn't. Elena was a captive. She had no ties to these people. And she had an out right here. She could go back to Jeremy.

_I could go home._

For one endless moment Elena was prepared to walk out that door and be free. But something held her back. Something that was blue-eyed and more complex than she had anticipated and that was currently gazing at her with the hopeless conviction that she wouldn't stay. That she would never choose him over her freedom.

And with that she knew her answer. She wasn't sure she was even surprised.

"I owe you a debt. You saved me. Twice if you want to count the loan you made me. So I'll stay and help you." She declared confidently, her chocolate eyes blazing.

For a split second a brilliant smile broke out across Damon's face and took her breath away. His beauty stunned her. _He should smile more often._

He quickly controlled his expression, getting back to business.

Now that their loyalties were declared, everyone sat again, Bonnie and Caroline flanking Elena on the couch. Bonnie squeezed Elena's hand in hers.

"Okay then. Now that that's settled, let me tell you our plan." Damon said.

He reached into his pocket and took out a folded and worn piece of paper. He opened it, gazing at it briefly, before looking at Elena. He handed it to her.

It was a picture of her, there was no denying that. Looking back at her were the same brown eyes and long, thick chestnut hair that she saw every day in the mirror. She flipped the paper over, looking for some clue as to what this was about. It was dated on the back, September 2, three and a half years ago.

She looked up to Damon, her expression befuddled.

"Why do you have an old picture of me? I didn't even know you back then."

Damon glanced at Elijah, his face grim. He turned back to Elena, looking at her with an apology in his eyes.

"Allow me to introduce you to Katherine."

* * *

><p><strong>Aww crud, now things are getting complicated. How do you think Elena will react to this new revelation? What did you think about what we found out about Damon's backstory so far? Did it work or was it too OOC for him?<strong>

**Next chapter we will see the consequences of the bombshell Damon just dropped as well as find out how Jeremy and Alaric are doing. Chime in if you think you know what'll happen!**

**Also, I need to stop writing such long chapters. You guys are gonna get spoiled. ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Yes it's me, I'm finally back. I won't talk much now because I'm sure you're impatient. The real author's note is at the end. Without delay, here is chapter 7 of GYMW.**

* * *

><p>Elena stared at Damon, completely poleaxed, her eyes unseeing. They flicked back to trace the photo on her lap, taking in the portrait there. She was looking at the woman who had caused Damon so much pain…she was looking at practically a mirror image of herself.<p>

_Katherine? What does he mean Katherine? This can't be…what does this mean?_

"What?" Caroline yelled, rising angrily off the couch and making Elena jump. "What the hell do you mean Katherine?" She exclaimed, echoing Elena's tumultuous thoughts.

"The woman in that picture is Katherine." Damon replied evenly, his eyes on Elena.

She was staring blankly at the paper in her hands, apparently stunned. He felt an unfamiliar breathlessness as he waited impatiently for any kind of reaction from her. He didn't care what she did, he just wished she'd do something other than sit there looking like he'd just killed her puppy.

"B...but that's just not possible. Unless Elena has some long-lost twin she never knew about." Caroline exclaimed.

She spun to look at Elena.

"Do you have a long lost twin you never knew about? Oh god this is just all so Days of Our Lives." She said excitedly.

Damon snorted and rolled his eyes, making Caroline glare at him. She plopped her hands on her hips and her cherry lips pursed in a pout.

"What?" She spat.

"Don't be stupid Caroline. Katherine is definitely _not_ related to Elena." Damon rumbled.

Elena flinched almost imperceptibly. The way he said it…it was just so harsh. Was she somehow inferior to Katherine? Maybe that was why he was so combative towards her. Because she didn't measure up to the woman with her face.

Caroline sat in a huff, crossing her arms over her chest. "It could happen." She muttered.

"Damon." Stefan scolded, moving to put a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder. "That was unnecessary."

"Oh shut up Steffy. We all know you're pussy-whipped. And you're not even getting any." Caroline glanced at Stefan confusedly, who rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"She was being ridiculous and you know it. Someone had to stop her before she went totally off track."

"Well then what's your reasoning?" A quietly pained voice asked.

All eyes turned to Elena.

Her mocha eyes were burning bright, boring straight into Damon and making him hitch his shoulders uncomfortably under their intensity.

"How is this possible Damon? I'd love to hear your explanation." She demanded, her voice so uncharacteristically weak it made him shiver.

He sighed, trying to shake off the worry that was hounding his mind and running his hand through his disheveled black locks for what seemed like the thousandth time.

"I'm not entirely sure. We do know you definitely aren't related. And I know for a fact that Katherine at least had a nose job, so she wasn't born looking like you. I wouldn't be surprised if she had even more work than that done. Regardless, she's not your twin. You are definitely one hundred percent Gilbert."

Elena looked at the portrait again, searching for anything in Katherine's face that would confirm Damon's words. She didn't want to have any ties to such a destructive woman.

There. Just around the lips and eyes there was…something. Her rosy lips were a bit too thin, pressed a little bit too tight together in their pouty pose. And there was a hardness, a selfishness about the set of her eyebrows and the light in her eyes that Elena was pretty sure had never been in her own face. Still, the differences were miniscule.

"Damon, this is…just…insane. They look, like, _exactly_ the same." Bonnie chimed in, her voice hesitant and confused. "What exactly are you planning? How does this help us?"

Damon looked around the room like he was surrounded by idiots. "Don't you guys get it? This gives us a huge advantage. It gives us the element of surprise, something that Klaus won't have planned for. Why she looks like Katherine is beside the point. Elena is our secret weapon."

"But how?" Rose insisted. "I'm sorry Damon, but I'm just not seeing how this is helping. It's not like Elena can single-handedly beat the crap out of fifty men."

"Of course she won't. But she will be the one to bring Klaus down."

When everyone continued to look at him like he'd grown a second head Damon groaned, slumping back in his chair and throwing his hands behind his head. "Eli, help me out here."

Elijah stepped forward into the light, easily commanding the attention of the room. If it weren't for Damon's inherent draw, Elijah's would be the most powerful presence in the room bar none. His crisp gray dress shirt and dark slacks combined with his regal bearing brought all eyes to rest on him. He took a breath before speaking in a calm, controlled voice.

"What Damon has so spectacularly failed to communicate is that Elena's part in all this, though instrumental, is entirely non-combative." Elijah explained, ignoring Damon's exasperated glare.

"Our plan is simple. As you know, each year the Salvatore Group hosts a masquerade ball. The public excuse is a celebration of our town's legacy, but really it is a way for the Group to remind Mystic Falls who holds the power and for us to seek out potential clients. We believe that Klaus will strike then, when all the families in town will be present to witness him bring down the Salvatore Group, to kill Damon, as well as for them to see who will be in control in the future. Elena's resemblance to Katherine is our ace in the hole so to speak. She will not even have to act like Katherine, simply her presence will be enough to hopefully give Klaus pause and to give us the vital time to find and disable his troops." Elijah explained.

"Exactly." Damon said. "Klaus was obsessed with Katherine. Therefore, when he sees Elena, he will be completely consumed with her, his concentration will be shattered. He may even postpone the whole operation in the hopes that he can get Elena to leave with him. That would obviously be the best case scenario, but we'll be prepared in case that doesn't happen."

"That would be the best case scenario?" Caroline screeched. "If Elena left with Klaus, the psychotic, murdering asshole who ruined your life? How is that a best case scenario?"

Elena wanted to cheer in agreement, but couldn't seem to get her vocal chords to operate.

"Again Caroline, you're being ridiculous. Of course Elena won't _actually_ leave with Klaus. We just want him to want her too. It will slow him down. Not to mention most of us here in this room will be on the floor with her to protect her." Damon scoffed condescendingly.

Caroline went back to pouting.

Damon turned to look at Elena; his fiery blue orbs alight with hope and excitement. He looked at her like she was the answer to all his problems. It was not a comfortable feeling.

"All you have to do is keep him talking Elena, dance with him, flirt a bit, just keep him chasing you. The rest of us will do the heavy lifting. It'll be over before you know it." He continued, smirking confidently.

She stared at him dully. Was he serious? Oh yes, the rest of them would do the heavy lifting. That's right. All she had to do was distract a psychotic, sadistic mob boss while posing as the ex-lover of not only said psycho but Damon too. Her hands shook, the picture fluttering like a butterfly's wings. This couldn't be happening. It just wasn't possible.

"That sounds…doable." Stefan mused, looking thoughtfully into the air.

"Stefan!" Caroline exclaimed indignantly.

"What? It does." He insisted.

"Of course it does, I came up with it." Damon said smugly.

Her breath was coming too fast in her lungs again and her head was throbbing. All her aches and pains, only a day old, seemed to be pulsing on her body. The air wheezed in and out of her lungs, not refreshing her at all. It was just one thing after another with these people.

She jolted suddenly to her feet, her eyes still fixed blankly on the quivering portrait in her hands.

"Elena?" Rose asked tentatively, her voice laced with concern.

Elena shook her head, her heavy tresses swaying around her, pulling on her scalp like concrete blocks.

"I…can't." She whispered. "I can't, I just can't…be here." She said, rocking unsteadily on the balls of her feet before whirling around and dashing for the door.

Damon felt like an idiot. He had completely forgotten how fragile she was right now, not just physically but mentally. She had just been assaulted in a place where she should have been safe and now he had to go and dump this emotional baggage on her.

Damon started after her, his hand extended and his expression worried.

Her head snapped up at his movement, her eyes frenzied.

"Don't! Don't come near me!" She exclaimed, panting heavily as she fiddled with the handle. She yanked on the door, whimpering when it resisted. "Please…I just…I…I need to be alone. Just for a bit."

When he continued to look unconvinced she tried to give him a shaky smile.

"I'm fine I promise. I just…need some air." She explained, slipping through the heavy door and shutting it behind her before Damon could say anything.

He was left staring at the silent mahogany, wishing he could have somehow made this easier for her. Wishing that in his fury he had remembered her fragile state and broken things to her gently. Wishing he didn't have to burden her at all, which was yet another uncharacteristic thing that this girl caused him to feel. He never had any qualms about using the tools at his disposal but the position he was forced to put Elena in was dangerous. He wished it didn't have to be her.

The rest of the room had watched Elena's breakdown and Damon's unusually sympathetic reaction in stunned silence. As if things weren't difficult enough, they now had to convince Elena of the role she had to play. As she normally did, Caroline summed it things up perfectly.

"Well shit."

* * *

><p>Elena had spent the day hiding from anyone who might want to talk to her, especially Damon. She had heard Bonnie, Stefan, Caroline, and even Andie looking for her, calling her name, but she had tucked herself securely away in a shaded corner of the gardens that she had stumbled into a few days ago and that was especially hard to find.<p>

She had shut her eyes and just let herself take deep breaths and think on everything she had learned in this exhausting day. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she would have to play the part in Damon's plan that she was asked to. There was no other way to protect her new friends. But that didn't mean she had to like it.

Now it was late, the sun having set in a flare of purple over an hour ago. She was exhausted and starving, awake for more than a day and unwilling to leave her hiding place to get food but at this point her growling stomach and drooping eyelids were forcing her inside.

She crept to the kitchen, which was miraculously empty, and began foraging in the cupboards, hoping to find some crackers and maybe some peanut butter to hold her over 'til breakfast. When she found the box of saltines she couldn't keep herself from munching on a few as she searched for the peanut butter, crumbs tumbling from her lips in her haste. The simple food just tasted so fantastic to her deprived tongue.

"At the rate you're going the mice won't have to worry about food for the next month." Rumbled a voice that she was coming to recognize even in her dreams.

She spun around, mouth full of cracker, to see Damon slouched lazily against the doorframe, one foot crossed in front of the other and looking entirely too godly to be legal. His arms were folded across his chest, pulling the dark material of his shirt deliciously taught over his defined pectorals and accentuating his powerful biceps, making her regret that she hadn't paid better attention to his chest that first night when she stumbled into his bedroom. His midnight blue jeans were slung typically low on his hips and she really wished, for the sake of her sanity, that he would invest in some belts. As usual, his messy black hair dusted his forehead and his stunning eyes blazed out from underneath, concern and something else she couldn't place burning within them. She couldn't help but take a deep breath at the mesmerizing sight of him.

Of course that was stupid because she sucked salty cracker crumbs right down her throat and god did they burn.

She immediately doubled over, choking and hacking to get the particles away from her windpipe. A heavy hand pounded her back while another supported her. When she managed to slow her coughs, Damon guided her to a tall seat at the big island in the center of the kitchen.

"Geez, didn't anyone ever teach you to chew your food? Do you want to injure yourself even more?" He exclaimed with a playful smile, bringing her a brimming glass of water.

She gulped the water greedily. "Sorry, I haven't eaten all day and I was hungry." She croaked.

"And you thought a couple of saltines was the best way to refuel?" He asked, looking at her incredulously.

She shrugged. "I can't really cook anything other than cereal. Not to mention I was trying not to run into anyone." She replied honestly.

Damon sighed heavily at that. As she sat there waiting for him to say something he began taking various things out of cabinets and refrigerators. By the time he had amassed a small pile on the counter, Elena's curiosity got the better of her.

"What are you doing?"

He pulled out a pan, placing it on the stove and turning the burner on so it could heat up. He glanced at her over his shoulder, a tentative smirk gracing his lips.

"Cooking."

"You can cook?" She asked incredulously. For a devious, violent, super-sexy mob boss it just seemed…so…normal.

"I _am_ Italian." He replied smugly.

"Fair enough, but why are you cooking?"

"Well I can't very well let you go to bed with that poor excuse for a dinner, now can I? As your physician that would just be irresponsible of me." He explained, busily chopping a chicken breast and some peppers and onions. He set a pot of water boiling and dumped some linguini in to cook up.

"You're…making me dinner? Who are you and what have you done with Damon Salvatore?"

He chuckled, tossing the chicken and vegetables in the hot pan with some olive oil, salt, and pepper to stir fry.

"I used to cook all the time. I loved it. The consistency of it was soothing and the creative freedom always kept me interested. I've had less time to cook lately, but that doesn't mean I can't."

She had no response for that and so just sat quietly and watched him do his thing. Everything he did was clearly skillful and experienced, something she found very attractive in a man. He moved around his kitchen like he was meant to be there rather than in the theater of war he had found himself in. Her heart broke for him a little bit when she thought about what he had really been through and she found herself wanting to comfort him but unsure what to say.

Of course, when he scooped a strand of pasta out of the pot to taste it and check its doneness all her sentimentality flew straight out of her head. There was no room for that kind of thinking when his lips were so lusciously pursed to accept the noodle.

As he swallowed, her eyes were drawn to the powerful lines in his neck and jaw. What she wouldn't give to just run her fingertips along that chiseled jawline, just for a moment. He brought his index finger to his mouth, his tongue peeking out to dance across its tip. She swallowed heavily, suddenly very awake and _very_ warm, particularly in that secret spot between her thighs. She crossed her legs tightly and bit her cheek to keep from moaning.

_For god's sake woman! He's not even doing anything!_

Apparently oblivious to her distraction (maybe…hopefully), Damon nodded, reaching for a colander and straining the pasta before dumping pasta, chicken, and vegetables all together into a bowl and mixing them up.

"Voila!" He exclaimed proudly, placing the giant bowl before her. "Linguini primavera for the lady. Mangia!" He said, kissing his fingertips dramatically. She couldn't help but giggle.

He grinned goofily in response which made him look like what she imagined he was like as a boy. For the second time that evening her heart throbbed heavily with a warmth she was afraid to acknowledge.

Shoving the uncomfortable swell of feelings to the back of her mind, she grabbed a fork and scooped up a generous portion of noodles, taking a hearty bite. The flavors burst across her tongue, seeming to caress that damp muscle in a cacophony of deliciousness. She groaned, closing her eyes in ecstasy.

"Damon, this is _fantastic_." She moaned.

"That's what she said." He replied, smirking deviously and moving to stand next to her. He scooped up his own forkful of pasta, taking a bite and raising an eyebrow as if daring her to comment.

She rolled her eyes. He was such a child. "Yeah. In your dreams."

He leaned towards her, grinning lustily, his elbow brushing her arm. Her eyes widened at the sudden invasion of her space.

"Oh, Elena, in my dreams you say much more than that." He replied huskily.

She almost choked on her noodles at the images that brought to her mind and decided that silence was probably her best chance of getting out of here without making a fool of herself and/or having wild, passionate sex with Damon right here on the countertop.

And since that was obviously not an option…_Don't do him, don't do him…it, I mean it! Don't do it!_

She shut up and took another bite.

* * *

><p>They ate in comfortable silence for a while and Elena found herself quite content to simply be in his presence. It was soothing in a way, his sturdiness and self-assurance.<p>

But eventually, as she always did, Elena had to rock the boat.

"What was she like?" She asked tentatively, avoiding his eyes and swirling her fork through the sauce on her plate. She didn't have to say who she was talking about.

Damon looked at her, her head down and focused on the eclectic shapes her fork was making in the oil, her luscious hair spilling over her shoulders and framing her cheeks. She was lovely even with her exhaustion and bruises and, was that a leaf in her hair? Really, every time he allowed himself to really look at her beauty, she stunned him and in a way wholly different from Katherine. He would have to remember to mention that to her at some point.

He was sure she expected him to refuse to answer, but with what he was asking her to do, with the way he had sprung it on her and with everything that had happened to her in the past week, he owed her this. He knew she had to be wondering if he saw Katherine when he looked at her. She needed this to ease her mind, or she would never agree to help him.

"She was…addictive. Like cocaine and alcohol combined with the best adrenaline high you've ever had. From the moment I met her I knew that she was different. So many women will stare and twitter and flit around you, but wait for you to make the first move. Katherine swayed right up to me at the bar, with her sexy little smile and her hypnotic, seductive eyes, told me I was exactly what she was looking for, and asked me if I'd like to buy her a drink. From that first moment I was hooked. I knew I had to have her."

* * *

><p><em>They stumbled against his door, drunk and groping each other like teenagers as he fumbled to get the key in the lock. Her skin was fire-hot under his hands and her perfect globes had just the right weight in his palms as he squeezed and kneaded. He finally managed to get the door open and she immediately planted her hands on his chest, pushing him in the room and kicking the door shut behind her.<em>

_She shoved him against the far wall, her hands ravaging his chest and her eyes hungry. Her breasts heaved as he pulled her roughly against him by her ass, her skintight black dress bunched up so he could feel the lace of her thong teasing his fingertips. She raked his shirt up, making him shudder when her nails left furrows of pleasure-pain across his skin. She ripped him from the wall, surprising him with her strength as she pushed him to the ground. She immediately fell to him, straddling his hips, her heavy heat hovering right over his straining arousal, making him groan in frustration. He became hazy, his desire and the whiskey clouding his head, making him miss her triumphant smile and the dark glint in her darker eyes._

* * *

><p>"But she was greedy and cold too. She told me she had never been in love; that she wasn't sure she could be. She told me if there was anyone she could love it would be me. And I was young and infatuated, completely unable to see any wrong in her. We would go out and she would flirt with other men, dancing and grinding with them. I would beg her to stop but she never listened. She even managed to convince me it was better this way."<p>

* * *

><p><em>He followed her into the apartment and slammed the door behind him, the wholly unconcerned expression on her face only fueling his frustration.<em>

"_Well, that was fun." She quipped, obviously unconcerned with the fuming man behind her._

"_Katherine, for the love of God, you can't keep fucking doing this! You were all over that guy tonight! Why the hell do you do this to me?" He broke down._

_She pouted prettily, walking seductively towards him, her lower lip jutting out and dangling like some forbidden fruit for him to steal. _

"_Oh, but lover doesn't it make us all the stronger? You know that you secretly love that, no matter how many men I have, you're the one who gets to come home with me." She replied, dragging her finger along his torso._

_He snarled and threw her hand away, stepping back to pace angrily, like a caged panther._

"_Honestly, Katherine, I don't. You can't keep throwing yourself at all these other men. Do you have any idea how it makes me look? How it makes me feel? Fucking hell woman, are you with me or aren't you?"_

_She tossed her head flippantly, her eyes flashing dangerously. "We've been through this before Damon and it is getting very tedious. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I will not be some little kept woman, content in her one and only. You are with me. Be happy with that and let that be the end of this."_

_She clapped her hands, smiling again, as mercurial as the ocean. "Now then, enough of this, we have company coming."_

_He stopped pacing, momentarily thrown off track. "Who the hell is coming here at this hour?" It was well after three in the morning and he thought that he would at least have his slippery vixen to himself for the remainder of the night and some steamy make up sex._

_She waved her hand, a clear dismissal. "That guy from the bar of course. I think he said his name was Nick or Nate or something."_

_He almost roared in fury, grabbing her by her arms and practically shaking her. _

"_You invited him here? Why Katherine, why?" He raged._

_She grinned lasciviously, completely unfazed by his outburst. "Why lover, we're going to have a little fun, he and us."_

_He recoiled. "You want to…what? Sleep with us both? Fuck no." The idea of any many seeing his Katherine in that way made jealousy and bile rise in his mouth._

_She sighed, reaching up to stroke his face softly, catching his tumultuous eyes with her deep pools of brown. _

"_Oh my sweet, innocent Damon, it's time to try something new. I promise you will like this. And I will like this. Don't you want to make me happy?" She asked, her pouty mouth quivering slightly._

_He turned his head away. He did want her to be happy. A happy Katherine was an intensely…grateful Katherine. And he did enjoy the way she chose to display her gratitude, rare as it was._

_She continued to stroke his cheek with her thumb until her eyes had once again ensnared him._

"_Forget everyone else. You know I care for only you."_

* * *

><p>"Before I knew it she had a whole menagerie of lovers on a rotating schedule. They would come when she called and I would typically be included, but sometimes I would simply be told to come home in a few hours. It killed me to see her with these other men, but as much as I wanted her to myself, I simply wanted <strong>her<strong> more. I knew she wouldn't stay if I forced her to choose.

But things began to get out of hand and I wasn't the only one with jealousy issues. All of her lovers wanted to take her from me and from each other. She only encouraged this rivalry like someone enjoying a dogfight. It was around this time that Klaus came into the picture. Of course you know how that worked out. I gave up my dreams of a doctorate, my desire to help people, all for her. I was sure she would choose me. I should have known better. Katherine would never accept the life of confinement that would be necessary to protect her from Klaus."

* * *

><p><em>He walked tiredly into their bedroom, his feet dragging and his face haggard. He had just buried his father and already Klaus' minions were pounding at the gates. He rubbed his face, wishing he could wipe away the last year. He flicked the lights on, looking up to see his surprised lover, her hands elbow deep in a pile of clothes shoved unceremoniously into her nondescript black suitcase.<em>

_Her eyes were wide. She clearly wasn't expecting him back so soon._

"_What are you doing?" He asked her, his mind trying to deny the sight before him._

_She sighed. "I had hoped to be gone before you came back."_

_His eyes flashed dangerously from within his deceptively calm face._

"_So you were just going to leave me, leave __**us**__, after everything we've been through? After everything I've done for you? My father is dead and I'm the captain of this shithole in a war with your psychopathic fuck-buddy. All of this was for you! How can you leave?"_

"_You know, you've always known, my life comes first! You wouldn't be with me if you didn't know this! I can't stay here, waiting for death or capture!" She yelled desperately._

"_I would protect you! I am protecting you goddammit! We can still be together!" He cried._

_She shook her head sadly, zipping her suitcase and tugging it to the floor. She looked at him, her eyes full of pity. "You never did get it Damon. We had fun lover, but you were never worth staying for. And that's not about to change."_

_She headed for the door, pausing right before him. "I'm running. I suggest you do the same. But it won't be with me."_

_She left him standing there, pained and stunned and alone._

* * *

><p>"She told me I was a good time, but really I was only ever a slave and a meal ticket to her. After she left I shut down, only feeling rage. I buried all my pain, all my loneliness behind a wall of vicious self-defense. I recruited endlessly and destroyed Klaus' men mercilessly. Ripped them apart really. The cages saw a lot of use that year. For a long time all I saw was red. It was a very long while before I started to come back to myself."<p>

He looked up to her, his face unflinching despite her resemblance to the woman that stole his innocence.

"That's what Katherine was like. I loved her. I thought she loved me back. I was wrong."

Elena stared speechlessly at him. The whole time he spoke his eyes had been pale and focused far away, his brow furrowed in pain. He was lost in his memory. She knew that feeling. And she now knew the story behind Damon Salvatore. After everything he'd been through she really couldn't blame him for being the cold, heartless bastard his reputation made him out to be. Though, the more time she spent with him, the more she realized he was much more than his reputation.

"So, where is she now?" Elena asked tentatively, her voice feather-soft.

He sighed heavily, pushing back from the counter.

"She ran for a long time. Somehow I still cared about her so I had my men keep track of her. In my new position I had the power and the resources to do that. Four months after she left me Klaus' men caught up to her. My man wasn't fast enough. She refused Klaus. Apparently she fed him the same shit about being a good time but not a keeper as she fed me. He killed her. Slowly and painfully so that she knew it was coming. If he couldn't have her no one could. Really, in a twisted way it was rather ingenious. It was the ideal punishment for someone like Katherine. She did so dearly love to live."

Elena shuddered. What kind of monster would use a good man like Damon only to break his heart? And what kind of monster would kill someone for choosing not to be with them?

Damon shrugged. "And that's all there is to it. Now you know what we're up against."

When he finished speaking Elena didn't even hesitate. Before her brain could catch up with her she was already on her feet and walking to stand before him.

He just stood there, his posture careless and debonair as always, but his eyes were swirling and riddled with memories just as painful as her own. His violent, abusive mask had cracked and revealed a peek at the broken, misused young man he had yet to put behind him.

She reached up, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight. He was so rigid, coiled muscles taught under her hands and against her body. He seemed almost frozen and she squeezed him tighter, trying to put some of her warmth into his body and thaw him.

There was no pity in her touch. She knew how painful pity could be and she would never do that to someone so hurt. In that moment all she wanted was to comfort him and let him know that he wasn't alone.

He didn't respond at all, but that was okay. His response wasn't important. All that mattered was that he comprehend and accept the comfort she was offering. She pulled back after a long moment, meeting his eyes heavily with her own. She hoped he knew how sincere she was when she spoke.

"I'm sorry for everything you lost."

She leaned forward and pressed her lips tenderly to his cheek, unable to keep herself from touching him once more. "Thank you for telling me."

She squeezed his wrist before letting him go completely, then turned and walked towards the stairs that led to the first floor. She paused in the doorway, turning back shyly, her gaze on him warmer than it had ever been before.

"Goodnight Damon." She whispered tentatively.

He stared after her, once again struck speechless and left standing alone by this slip of a girl with every reason to hate him. Before he could speak she was gone, disappearing and leaving him wishing he could follow wherever she was going.

"Goodnight Elena." He whispered to the empty doorway.

* * *

><p>When Alaric got back to his temporary home in the Gilbert apartment that night his heart was pounding so hard he could feel it in his ears. He rushed to Jeremy's bedroom door despite the late hour and pounded on it with his closed fist.<p>

"Jeremy!" He roared frantically. "Get out here now!"

He went to the kitchen and filled himself a tall glass of water, guzzling it so quickly that it dribbled down his chin. He panted, turning when he heard Jeremy's door creak open.

The teen stumbled out dressed in nothing but some wrinkled flannel pants, his hair tousled and his eyes sleep-riddled.

"Whas goin' on?" He mumbled blearily, walking stiffly to collapse on the couch.

Alaric rushed over, impatiently taking a seat across from Jeremy.

"Jer, I know it's late, but you really need to pay attention right now. I have some news."

He sat up at that.

"About Elena?"

"Well, yes, indirectly. One of my sources got back to me just now with some upsetting news that's gonna force our plan to move forward." The teacher hesitated.

"Okay, what news?" Jeremy prompted.

"There is…a rival faction to the Salvatore group coming into town. They're called The Originals and they absolutely hate the Salvatores. We're going to have a gang war on our hands here. They're only a few days out of town. Our window to get Elena out has just closed drastically. We're gonna have to move fast." Ric explained.

"Woah, woah, hang on a second. If these people hate the Salvatores so much maybe they can help us. Can your contact get us in touch with them?" Jeremy asked.

Ric shuddered. "_**No**_ Jeremy. We are _not_ going to do that. You know how much I hate the Salvatore group but, these people…they put even Damon Salvatore to shame. We are in no way going anywhere near them. _You_ are going nowhere near them."

Jeremy held his hands up, trying to placate his frantic guardian. "Okay, okay, it was just an idea, calm down Ric. What're we going to do then?"

Alaric looked at the young man who had ended up in his charge, his brown eyes determined and serious. "We're going to have to get Elena out sooner than we planned."

Jeremy furrowed his brows. "You mean…?"

"I hope you're ready. We're getting your sister out of there and I'm getting my revenge. Tomorrow."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**Okay, gear up, this is a long note, but it's important.**

**1) Yes! It's me again. I'm finally, **_**finally**_** back. You have no idea how frustrated I've been with myself these last weeks. I wanted to have a new chapter out to you guys weeks ago. I'm so sorry for making you wait so long. I promise I didn't want to. But, in addition to a shocking lack of inspiration due to being at home with my family (really, trying to write about love and violence with your parents and your twelve year old sister in the house is practically impossible) as well as to the lack of Delena goodness on tv, some rather awful things happened in the weeks following graduation that just really put me off my game. On the bright side, I am back and, though updates might not be as frequent as they were during the spring, they will definitely be coming more regularly.**

**2) What did you think of the chapter? There was a lot covered so let me know if you have any questions. Next chapter will be Alaric and Jeremy's rescue attempt as well as some interesting info about Isobel and we'll also get our first brief glimpse of Klaus. Do you think Elena will leave the Salvatore group or stay to help her new friends?**

**3) Thank you so much to everyone who alerted, favorite or reviewed since my last update. I know I make an effort to respond to all of your reviews (sorry if I ever missed you) but I've noticed a lot of authors don't bother. Would you rather I didn't respond and have my extreme gratitude just be implied or do you like hearing from me?**

**4) I've heard some rumors about M-rated stories being removed from . I don't currently have a livejournal, but if you notice this story has been removed, message me and I will begin to post updates there just for you lovely people.**

**5) I need to give a special thank you to a couple very special readers who took the time to message me over the last few weeks and express their desire and impatience for this chapter. Thank you so much to Silvia151a, Dana Sto, and beverlie4055 for giving me a much needed kick in the pants.**

**6) I am considering the potential usefulness of having a beta. I think it might motivate me more if I could get someone's consistent opinion before I post. If you're interested, have strong writing and grammar skills, and think you could get back to me quickly then send me a message and we can give it a try and see if it works.**

**Okay, I'm done talking. Hope you liked the chapter! Can't wait to hear what you thought!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello All. I know. I'm finally back and I am SO SORRY for keeping you all waiting. I had some massive writer's block and combined with very real life…I just got nowhere. But I'm back now with a few chapters written so hopefully we'll be back to weekly updates. **

**I highly recommend you reread at least the last chapter to get yourself back up to speed.**

**I'm quite proud of this chapter and I'd like to thank my brand spanking new beta, the amazing Dutchtreat. You're so great! I'd also like to thank everyone old and new for the reviews I received for last chapter. You're all amazing and I'm so happy you're enjoying this so much.**

**Lastly I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Dana Sto. Thank you for caring enough about this story to remind me that people are reading still reading it.**

**Without further ado, here is Ch 8 of GYMW.**

* * *

><p>Jeremy sat on the frayed, floral couch in his living room. He remembered how Elena had gotten it secondhand for twelve dollars right after they moved into their apartment, just weeks after she got out of the hospital. It was strange, the things he had been remembering these last few days. Even then, covered in bruises, with a cast on her arm, she was doing everything she could to take care of him.<p>

Now it was his turn to take care of her.

He rubbed his thighs nervously as he watched Alaric put their "Save Elena" kits together. There was a veritable armory of equipment crammed on their tiny coffee table, running the gamut from rope and zip ties to four intimidating black handguns. Two black backpacks sat at Ric's feet each already filled with everything and anything they might need.

Ric picked up one of the guns and pressed it into Jeremy's hand, his expression focused and intense.

"Alright." He began. "I know we've been through this all before, but think of this like a last minute cram session before the final exam. Now, take the clip out."

Jeremy easily found the catch and flipped it, the clip sliding easily into his palm. The bullets were long, with thin tips and some sort of liquid sloshing around in the body.

"Now, these are tranquilizer darts." Alaric said, reaching out and tapping a fingernail on the liquid-filled cavity. "They'll put anybody you hit out for a good hour at least. Plenty of time for you to get in and get out with your sister."

"You mean for _us_ to get in and get out with my sister, right?" Jeremy asked nervously.

Alaric paused as he zipped up his pack.

"…Right."

He took gun and ammunition from Jeremy and drove the clip home with a heavy click, grabbing another gun and shoving them both in the side pouches of Jeremy's bag. He stood, taking two more guns and strapping one into a holster on his ankle, the other in the waistband of his jeans at the small of his back.

He picked up a box that jangled with the sound of metal, pausing for a second to stare at it intently.

Jeremy watched the intense emotions flit across his new friend's face, a niggling feeling that something was off tapping at the nape of his neck.

"Your clips filled with tranquilizers too?" He asked suddenly.

Ric's fist tightened around the box, his eyes flicking up to Jeremy's. They were cold with a deep, old hurt peeking out from their depths. Jeremy had never seen this expression on his normally easygoing teacher's face.

Ric quickly slipped the box into his pocket and scooped up Jeremy's backpack, tossing it to him. Jeremy caught it with a grunt.

"Let's go."

* * *

><p>Damon slouched in his office chair, twirling a glass of bourbon and glaring at the reports sitting in front of him. They were always filled with such inane minutiae, usually from his more wretched, sniveling clients trying to get an out from their contract. Putrid ground dwellers. He hated dealing with them. Most of them weren't worthy enough to breathe his air let alone ask him for help. There was really only one client he could stand to be around for more than a minute.<p>

Speaking of Elena.

She was really something. She continued to surprise him, and for someone as jaded as himself, anything new and different quickly became intoxicating.

She had listened to his story last night in the kitchen and not been disgusted by his weakness with Katherine. Why wasn't she disgusted by him? God knows he disgusted himself. Instead, she had comforted him. Had thanked him for telling her. And now, this morning she had come out and agreed to play the part of bait for Klaus. Who did that?

Lately he'd had to consciously scold himself for thinking about her. He often found ways to bring her up with Stefan or Caroline or Elijah. When he was alone he found himself wanting to go and seek her out, to be with her. He hardly recognized himself.

And when he was around her, he had all these feelings, stronger and more distracting than anything he had felt since Katherine.

The lust he understood. She was stunningly sexy and deliciously innocent at the same time, all sensuous curves and tanned limbs. That baser part of him roared for her whenever she walked into a room. He found himself imagining her specifically, blissfully naked and writhing wild under him, with increasing frequency when he had his 'me' time.

The anger he also got. She _argued_ with him. No one argued with him. No one dared to talk back to him when he was in a rage, so it was understandable that he got a little…fired up around her.

But the other feelings, the protectiveness, the concern, those had been foreign to him for a long time. To have them flaring to life with such vivre after such an extended dormancy was not only disorienting, but frustrating. Especially when he had worked so hard to bury anything close to a warm-fuzzy years ago. Somehow, inexplicably, she brought them all out in him without seeming to try at all.

Even worse, the more he felt for her, the less he wanted it to stop. God was he screwed.

* * *

><p>Caroline Forbes was confused. Granted, that happened pretty frequently, what with her tendency (bordering on ADD) to be distracted. Not to say that she was stupid, because she wasn't, but she <em>was<em> confused.

She and Bonnie were sitting in the kitchen chatting. Stefan had joined them not long ago, something that had been happening more and more often lately. And each time he joined them, he somehow managed to get a seat closest to her, his concerned, attentive, puppy dog eyes focused on her every word.

And he always seemed to pop up when she needed help, holding doors, carrying bags, just being there when she needed to vent. He was everywhere and she found herself beginning to look forward to seeing him.

Nothing wrong with that right?

Nothing except that she didn't know what to do about it…and it didn't seem like he would be making any kind of a move anytime soon. She snorted. Like that was a real shocker.

She guessed she would just have to be patient, but if he didn't do something soon she would give him a good, old-fashioned Forbes talking-to. Maybe that would teach him to grow a pair. She sighed, trying to focus on the topic at hand.

Tonight the topic was - unsurprisingly - Klaus. It's all anyone had been talking about since Damon dropped that bombshell.

"I just don't understand what his problem is. This happened forever ago and, well, Katherine is dead now. Why can't he just let it go already?" She whined.

"Real sensitive Care." Bonnie said disapprovingly.

"Well, it's true!" She exclaimed. "It's not like Damon can bring her back. What good will all this 'I'm the biggest bad, I'm going to take over the world' nonsense do?"

"I don't really think Klaus is the type to drop things Caroline." Stefan responded in that gentle, placating tone he seemed to prefer, his brow typically furrowed.

Caroline huffed, crossing her arms. "Well he should be. It's time he grew up and got used to disappointment. It would be good for his character."

"Forget Klaus. I'm worried about Elena." Bonnie griped. "Does nobody else think that this hair-brained plan of Damon's is putting way too much pressure on her? There's so much that could go wrong."

"I know right?! But there's no talking to Damon. Or Elena for that matter. She's completely determined to go through with it." Caroline added.

"Elena?" A voice piped up, interrupting them. "Elena Gilbert? You know where she is? Tell me!"

The three of them looked up in surprise.

"What? Who are…"

_Fffpt! Fffpt! Fffpt!_

Three bodies slumped to the floor.

* * *

><p>Damon had just resigned himself to trying to get <em>some<em> work done that night, forcibly shoving thoughts of his beautiful, brunette maid to the back of his mind, when his office door swung open.

"What?" He drawled, not bothering to look up. It was probably just Andie with some more tedious paperwork or Elijah with another depressing update about Klaus' impending arrival.

The click of a gun being cocked had him quickly revising this assumption.

His head snapped up, azure eyes flashing dangerously at whoever was so brave, and stupid, to challenge him on his home turf.

In the door stood a man, not short but not tall either, with cropped brown hair and dressed in simple cargo pants and a gray thermal t-shirt. A loaded pack was slung across his back. His ensemble was completed by determined brown eyes. The nozzle of a sleek black gun with a silencer held in a trembling hand stared Damon down.

"Who the fuck are you?" Damon growled.

The man stepped into the room, his eyes flashing. "That's perfect! You don't even know." His eyes narrowed, his index finger teasing the trigger.

Damon kept calm his mind flying fast. He quickly understood this man was here to kill him.

_Duh._

He would have to do some quick talking to keep from getting a bullet in the chest. He had weapons stashed all over the room, all over the manor actually. The closest one right now was strapped right underneath his desk. He just needed to distract this idiot long enough…

"Look whoever-you-are, I know you probably think you're brave, coming and facing down the big bad Damon Salvatore, rescuing good old Mystic Falls, but you're making a huge mistake."

The man snorted, stepping further into the room and nudging the door shut with his foot, keeping the gun trained on Damon and cutting them off from the rest of the house.

Damon's hand crept toward the shotgun under his desk, his fingers straining for the straps holding it in place, keeping his eyes focused on his attacker and his lips moving all the while.

"You'll never get away with this. My men will be here any moment and they will take you down."

The man smirked. "Not likely. No one will be coming for you. This time you're alone. Just like she was."

Damon's eyes narrowed. So, this man had somehow incapacitated his forces. That was unfortunate, but not particularly problematic. He was more than capable of taking care of himself. More important was this 'she' that Sergeant Douchebucket (for lack of a better name) mentioned. Who was 'she' and what did she have to do with Damon?

"Okay, even supposing that is true and you do manage to escape with your life, there is nowhere you can go that we won't find you, _believe_ me." Damon drawled, trying to plant doubt, playing for more time. There! His fingers brushed the catch that separated him from his weapon. One buckle…two buckle…

_Clink!_

Damon froze, trying to keep his face from betraying him. The man's eyebrows snapped down. He must have realized Damon was up to something. _Dammit_.

"Put your hands where I can see them! Stand up!" The man ordered, fist tightening on the gun.

Damon slowly brought his hands up to hover in front of him, palms turned towards his attacker, eyes wary. He had to calm things down…and quick.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot. Why don't you tell me your name?" Damon suggested, his charm coming out in all its glory.

Unfortunately, it didn't have quite the same mind numbing effect on a straight (vengeful) male that it did on the sum and total of the female population.

"My name isn't important. I _said_ get up!"

"Sure, no problem. I'll get up." Damon replied, not moving. "Just tell me your name."

The sound of a gunshot made Damon flinch and he felt a puff of air whiz right past his eye.

"FUCK!"

* * *

><p>Elena practically skipped down the hall. She had finished cleaning the windows early this evening, which meant she could go take a long soak in the big tub in the luxurious bathroom across from her new bedroom before having the rest of the evening to herself. She was almost fully healed from the events of the last few days and she knew an extra hot bath would solidify her recovery.<p>

She froze when a thud and a muted expletive echoed down the empty hall. Where was everyone? This hallway shouldn't be this empty this time of day.

Come to think of it, she hadn't seen anyone in a few hours, which hadn't happened since the Lockwood debacle. She'd had a nearly constant string of baby sitters. _Things are quiet. Too quiet_. She thought, with a mental slap for her own clichéd-ness.

She made her way cautiously down the hall, drawing level with Damon's 'forbidden' office. The door was open a crack. With a secret thrill at breaking the house rules, she carefully put her eye to the crack.

She wasn't sure what she had expected (or feared) to see…maybe a cowering client kneeling before Damon's cold brilliance or the beginnings of a wild orgy…but what she actually saw caused her to pull back sharply, swiftly clapping her hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp.

There was a strange man holding Damon hostage, pointing a very real gun at him. Who was he? Why was he here?

She froze.

Could it be Klaus?

She trembled. Despite agreeing to help distract Klaus at the ball, the thought of him terrified her. Her resemblance to Katherine was dangerous and she did _not_ want to become the new obsession of a psychotic killer. What should she do?

She looked through the crack again, her eyes seeking Damon. He looked so stoic, like he had the whole situation in control. But there was nothing she could see that would help him out of this.

And she couldn't leave him to fend for himself.

She backed away from the door, straightening up and giving herself a little shake.

She stepped forward, resting her palm on the door, and pushed it open.

* * *

><p>Damon yelped as the bullet whizzed by him, standing and spinning around to see it embedded in his wall.<p>

The man cocked the gun again, Damon whirling to face him at the click it made.

"Now that I've got your attention, why don't you move into the center of the room?"

Damon's eyes flicked incredulously from the wall to his attacker.

"Why not indeed." He muttered, slowly pacing out into the room.

Away from his desk…and his weapons.

The man's eyes flashed smugly. "There's a good boy."

Damon growled, bristling at his condescending tone and taking an unconscious step forward.

"Ah, ah, ah." The man warned, waving a finger.

Damon snarled and took another step forward. No way was he gonna listen to this idiot.

The gun fired again, the bullet embedding itself in the floor inches from his foot, leaving a smoking ring in his carpet.

"What the hell?!" Damon yelled, jumping back. He fumed. "That was hand-woven from Indonesia. They don't make rugs like that anymore!"

He was quickly distracted from his consternation over his carpet when the door swung open and Elena rushed into the room, breathless and clearly frightened.

"Damon!" She cried, stepping worriedly forward. Her eyes raked over him, searching for any sign of injury. If he was hurt…she didn't know what she might do. She relaxed minutely when she saw that he was still standing proud and perfect.

The man's eyes narrowed and he trained his gun on her, making her freeze in her tracks, tension coming right back to the lines of her body.

Damon's eyes flashed dangerously when the man aimed his gun at Elena. His hands fisted and he took a menacing step forward, instantly forgetting about the hole in his floor. The same red haze from when the Lockwood brothers attacked her began to cloud his mind. If this man so much as looked like he would hurt Elena…Damon would rip his throat out.

The gun immediately swung away from Elena and back to Damon, training on his chest, right over his heart.

"Don't even think about it." The man warned, eyes cold and index finger once again teasing the trigger.

Elena had to do something. Clearly this man (maybe Klaus?) was insane. She couldn't let him hurt Damon.

"Who are you?" She asked breathlessly. "Why are you here?"

The man rolled his eyes. "None of your business little maid. Now just pipe down. There's no reason for you to get hurt over this monster. Soon you'll be free. We all will."

"N…no! You can't hurt him. You won't."

"Watch me." He replied, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Elena, what are you doing?" Damon muttered. "Get out of here." He commanded, gesturing with his eyes toward the door. Even if he couldn't escape, she could still get away.

The man's eyes trained on her with new interest. "You must be Elena Gilbert. Your brother is looking for you."

Elena gasped. "Jeremy? How do you know Jeremy?"

"My name is Alaric." He explained.

Elena frowned. Why did that name sound familiar? She gasped. Jeremy's class schedule. She remembered how excited they were when he chose his classes, how things had finally felt like they were coming together. Alaric Saltzman had been one of his teachers. Well, at least he wasn't Klaus.

"Y…you're Jeremy's history teacher?" She asked, her confusion growing.

Alaric grinned darkly. "Ding ding ding! Gold star for Miss Gilbert."

"A _teacher_? Really?" Damon scoffed, insulted that an untrained layman had gotten the drop on him.

"Shut up." Alaric snarled. "As for you Miss Gilbert, Mr. Salvatore is right for once in his miserable life. You should leave."

Elena shook her head stubbornly, her chin coming up proudly. "No."

"Goddammit Elena, don't be stupid, just leave!" Damon hissed.

"No!" She yelled back, her brown eyes glistening as they locked on his concerned blues.

"I won't leave you." She promised, her voice dripping sincerity. "I won't."

Damon stared at her, uncomprehending. Why? Why would she stay for him? He had brought her nothing but trouble and yet here she was, willingly putting herself in the crosshairs of a dangerous and unstable gunman…for him.

He stared at her, his eyes raking hungrily over her figure. Her eyes glistened, a smudge of dirt marred her cheek, and yet, if he was about to die right now, there was nothing he'd rather be looking at. His breath caught in his throat at the thought that this might be the last time he saw her and all he wanted to do was bundle her in his arms and spirit her away somewhere that she would be safe. Somewhere they would never be found.

Elena watched Damon as a stunning array of emotions flittered across his beautiful features lightning fast. His eyes radiated heat, begging her to escape, to leave him. But she couldn't. All she wanted to do was run to him, to find a way to keep Alaric from doing what he had clearly come here to do. Two weeks ago she would have gladly taken this opportunity to escape the nefarious clutches of the Salvatore Group…but now…

Damn Alaric for putting her in this situation. Damn Damon for making her feel this way when she shouldn't. Damn men in general!

"Fine!" Alaric growled, breaking the spell. He rushed over and grabbed Elena roughly by the arm.

"Don't touch her!" Damon snarled, seeing red. No one touched Elena. Especially not delusional history teachers.

"I said, DON'T MOVE!" Alaric screamed, eyes wide and frantic, blood vessels popping as he swung the gun wildly, trying to maintain control.

He shoved Elena into the corner opposite Damon, making her stumble and whimper.

"If you must stay, stay put and stay out of my way. And remember, you asked to see this." He ordered, glaring at her.

"Now then, where were we?" Alaric asked, face once again turning cold and controlled.

Alaric strode back until he was once again facing Damon, extending his arm with an air of finality until the gun pointed right between Damon's eyes.

Damon flinched imperceptibly. Really? Was this really how it would end? It just seemed so mundane. The great Damon Salvatore, scourge of the east coast, driving terror and lust in equal measure into the hearts of Mystic Falls…brought down by a history teacher with a grudge.

"No…" Elena gasped, seeing the determination in Alaric's eyes. "No, please…please don't hurt him!"

"Shut up goddammit! I'm doing you a favor!"

"No, please, no…why are you doing this?!" Elena cried, her eyes begging him for an answer.

"Because he killed my wife!"

* * *

><p>Jeremy trotted quickly down the hallways of the Salvatore Boarding House, searching frantically for Elena. He was running out of time and this place was ridiculously huge. How was he ever going to find her? And who really needed this much space? Seriously?<p>

_I guess it makes sense that a total douche like Damon Salvatore would have the ultimate douchebag –sized house._

As he hurried along, the muffled sounds of an argument reached his ears. It seemed to be coming from a room just down the hall. Arguments meant people, and people might know where Elena was.

He pulled his gun out of his pocket, just in case they didn't.

He drew abreast of the doorway, which was wide open. _You'd think these Salvatore people would want more privacy if they were going to argue._

He peeked around the edge of the opening, hoping to get an idea of how many Salvatore flunkies he was dealing with.

What he didn't expect to see was Alaric, pointing a gun at a raven-haired man who glared back at him, and his sister standing off to the side, a worried expression contorting her face.

"Elena!" Jeremy cried, abandoning all stealth and rushing into the room, ignoring the startled stares of the two men.

He barreled into his sister, his arms crushing her in a bear hug. His eyes brimmed with joyful tears. "I found you!"

"Jeremy? What are you doing here?" Elena asked, struggling under her brother's ecstatic weight.

He pulled back, resting his hands on her shoulders. "We came to rescue you!" He pulled her in for another hug. "I can't believe we found you!"

"Jeremy. Shut the door." Alaric ordered.

Jeremy looked up, surprised at the interruption.

Elena looked between her brother and Alaric. "Wait. You came here _with_ Jer? Why would you do that?"

Jeremy looked at Elena incredulously. "To save you of course. And to get back at Damon Salvatore for taking you and for hurting Ric's wife."

He looked at the raven-haired man, his eyes narrowing to a glare.

"You must be Damon."

Damon smirked. "Guilty."

If he had to go out, he might as well go out with flair right?

"Jeremy!" Alaric interrupted again. "Shut. The. Door."

Jeremy looked between Alaric and Damon, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"No Jeremy, don't shut the door." Damon drawled blandly. Jeremy's face smoothed out with understanding and he immediately marched over to the door, slamming it shut with a bang.

Jeremy spun to smirk petulantly at Damon. "Oops. My bad."

"Jer!" Elena scolded. Damon rolled his eyes. Stupid kid. He wasn't nearly so interesting as his sister. Apparently copious awesomeness didn't run in the family.

"What?!" Jeremy cried, glowering around the room. "Elena, this asshole kidnapped you! He took you away from me! Why are you defending him?!" He yelled, throwing his arms wide. "He's done so many horrible things. He deserves whatever's coming to him!"

"No Jer! No he doesn't! There's so much about him you don't know okay…" Elena began.

"Elena, he _killed_ Ric's wife Isobel…over a gambling debt. What more proof do you need?!"

The siblings glared at each other from opposite sides of the room, brown eyes blazing and chests heaving. Elena's gaze begged her brother to be on her side but he just frowned stubbornly. The silence stretched on longer and longer.

Until Damon just had to chime in.

"Well…it's true…I did kill her…"

"Damon!" Elena hissed.

"But…" He began, raising an index finger, his eyebrows and lips drawing up simultaneously. "…technically speaking…she's not dead."

"What?!" Three voices yelled with varying levels of shock and incredulity.

"You heard me. She's. Not. Dead." Damon repeated, enunciating each word slowly, like they were hard of hearing.

"But…you said you killed her…how can she not be dead?" Jeremy asked, clearly struggling to comprehend the situation.

"Well now, that is an interesting story."

"Damon…"Elena warned, saying his name in that tone only she could manage.

"Geez, don't get your panties in a twist." Damon drawled. "In fact, I'd much rather you didn't wear panties at all if it's all the same." He continued, eyebrows dancing.

"Damon," Elena sighed, rolling her eyes. "So not the time."

"Ugh, fine, you're no fun." Damon whined. He took a deep breath, confident he had at least earned a short reprieve from impending death.

"Ah Isobel, I remember her well. However, as little Gilbert mistakenly implied, Isobel's gambling debt wasn't to me. It was to…drumroll please…The Originals."

"Klaus…" Elena breathed.

"DUN, Dun, dun!" Damon crowed, pleased at having successfully shocked his audience. "That's right. Klaus. What a _super_ coincidence huh?"

"Wait though, if her debt was to Klaus…how did you end up killing her?" Elena asked.

"Ah, ah, ah…_not_ killing her, remember?"

"Yeah, fine, whatever, not killing her." She replied frustratedly. Did he really have to be so difficult right now? There was a frickin' gun pointed at him and he wanted to clown around?

"Well, as luck would have it, Isobel realized that Klaus and his band of _miscreants_ had lost patience with her. She was behind on her payments, abysmally so. And they aren't _nearly_ as generous as I am with lateness."

Elena snorted at this, making Damon smirk.

"So anyway, she came to me to strike a new deal. She would tell me everything she knew about Klaus' movements and plots in the last few years and I would help her fake her death and start up a new life far away from Mystic Falls." Damon explained, actually managing to sound proud. "And boy did she have a lot to tell. If Isobel was good at anything it was research. Well…that and gambling all her money away…and betraying the people closest to her, but hey, we all have talents right?"

"B…but Ric saw you. He saw you standing over her. He heard the gun shot. You must've killed her." Jeremy insisted.

"Nooope. Wrong again baby Gilbert. The only way it would work was if Klaus thought she was dead. He had to _believe_ it." Damon shrugged. "Hence, her husband had to believe it. We staged the whooole thing."

"So…Isobel's not dead." Elena replied. She couldn't believe it. It was so…wrong. But the sheer simplicity of their plan was rather…brilliant. Sick. But brilliant.

"Nope. Conniving little bitch was living somewhere in Guatemala last I heard. But I could be wrong. She moves around a lot. Keeps me posted on Klaus when she can."

The whole time Damon was explaining, Alaric hadn't said a word, instead staring at Damon with a numb sort of horror on his face. But finally he spoke.

"No…" He whispered, his wide eyes staring blankly at the floor. "No…no…it can't be true. She wouldn't do that."

"Oh it's true. Seems like old Isobel just wasn't getting what she needed at home eh Ricky?" Damon taunted.

"NO!" Alaric screamed, holding the gun in both trembling hands, struggling to keep it pointed at Damon, eyes pained and wild, voice cracking. "YOU'RE LYING! YOU KILLED HER! ISOBEL LOVED ME AND YOU KILLED HER!"

Damon stared back at him unflinchingly, a flicker of compassion showing behind his eyes. "It's the truth Ric. Isobel is alive. She left because she had no choice and she left without asking to take you with her. In fact, having you walk in on us was her idea. She knew you'd never let her go if you thought she was still alive. I didn't take her from you. She left you all on her own."

All the fury and determination seemed to drain out of Alaric's body at this. He dropped his arms, the gun hanging limply from his fingers as he just shook his head, whispering "no" over and over again.

"If it makes you feel better, it saved her life. My spies had it on good authority that Klaus was just about to come after her himself. If I hadn't 'killed' her…he definitely would've."

A strange sort of shocked silence permeated the room as they all waited for Alaric's reaction to this bombshell. He was clearly unstable right now and there was no telling what he would do when the bubble burst.

Damon was just about to step forward and try to get the gun away from him when the door burst open, bodies stumbling haphazardly into the room.

Alaric's eyes widened, becoming frenzied again, and his head snapped up. He whipped around, his attention flying to the door.

"No!" Damon yelled, reaching forward a moment too late.

The gun rang out.

An anguished cry of pain echoed throughout the manor, fading slowly with a grim finality.

All sound disappeared as every eye was inexorably drawn to the young blonde, her face contorted in an expression of shocked agony, as she slumped to the floor, her hands clutching her abdomen as blood pooled between her fingers.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yes, I have become just a little bit evil. I hope the wait was worth it everyone. I can't wait to hear what you all think. And I can't wait for the season premiere this THURSDAY! AHHHH!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello all. A big thanks to those of you who reviewed. It was nice to hear from you all again. Also a big welcome to all the people who alerted and favorite this story. I look forward to hearing what you all think of this chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>There was a strange suspension in the air as six pairs of eyes looked on in horror while Caroline's blood began to stain the floor a sickly red.<p>

Then everything seemed to happen at once.

"What is wrong with you?!" Bonnie cried, glaring at Alaric and dropping to her knees beside Caroline, gently pushing her friend's hands aside.

Damon immediately barreled into Alaric, shoving him to the floor and disarming him, emptying the clip before throwing the gun aside in disgust.

"Oh my God…" Bonnie gasped when she saw the dark hole in the blonde's abdomen. She quickly ripped her apron off and pressed it frantically over the wound.

Alaric didn't even seem to register Damon's presence, all of his attention focused on the innocent young blonde slowly bleeding to death on the floor. All because of him. He crawled to his knees, a broken, keening noise coming from his throat.

"Bonnie?" Caroline muttered weakly, her eyelids fluttering as she slipped into unconsciousness.

Elena rushed to kneel on Caroline's other side.

"How bad is it?" She asked Bonnie.

Bonnie glanced up. Her glistening eyes filled with shock and sorrow told Elena everything she needed to know.

"No." Elena breathed.

Stefan strode forward with murder in his eyes, closing on Ric in two large steps. He would rip this interloper into bloody bits for hurting Caroline.

"Whoaaa, no you don't." Damon said, quickly stepping in front of his cousin, placing a restraining hand on his chest.

"Get out of my way Damon." Stefan snarled.

"No can do my friend. Now is not the time for that." Stefan snorted. Damon lowered his voice to a murmur. "Caroline needs you right now Stefan. She needs all of us."

Right on cue, Bonnie let out an anguished sob. "Damon!" She cried desperately. "We need you over here!"

Damon sent Stefan one last warning glance, before rushing to Bonnie's side.

Jeremy hung back awkwardly, not sure what to do. Should he be feeling guilty for giving Ric a reason to come here? Should he try and help? He settled for staying out of the way. He figured that was probably the best move what with that angry blonde man glaring at Alaric.

Bonnie barely spared Damon a glance when he fell to his knees beside her, all her attention centered on stopping the blood pouring out of Caroline's abdomen, soaking everything. Caroline's clothes, the carpet, Bonnie's hands, all were stained with the proof that the next few moments held Caroline's life in the balance.

Damon assessed the situation quickly, the blood barely affecting him as that cool detachment from medical school came right back to him.

"Bonnie, we need to get her to the infirmary. Now. A belly wound is nothing to sneeze at. I'll get her there. I need you to run, and I mean _run_ and get my medical kit. It's buried at the back of the coat closet on the second floor landing. Go!" He ordered, scooping Caroline up in his arms.

Bonnie raced to obey.

"Stefan, stay here. Make sure Gilbert-junior and the teacher don't leave." He paused. "But don't hurt them. Just keep them here."

He didn't stay to make sure his orders were followed, striding quickly out the door and towards the infirmary. Elena trotted after him but he stopped her quickly.

"Elena, I need you to go and find out what happened to Elijah, Andie, and Rose. Get Elijah to me in the infirmary as quickly as you can." He commanded.

"Where the fuck were they in all of this anyway?" He griped.

"But I can help you!" Elena immediately argued.

"No…" He began.

"Yes I can Damon! I can do this okay, I…"

"Elena!" He interrupted. "I don't have time to argue with you. Caroline is _dying_ as we speak and I _need_ Elijah's help if I'm going to save her life. _You_ will just be in my way. Now go find the others goddammit!" He told her coldly.

Elena flinched, ducking her head and nodding, before running off in the other direction.

Damon ignored the pang in his chest at her obvious hurt. He would berate himself for that later. He couldn't afford to be caught up in Elena right now like he was when the idiot teacher barged into his office. She was a dangerous distraction. Caroline's life was more important.

And it was slipping away with every drop of blood that hit the tile.

* * *

><p><strong>THUD. <strong>

**THUD. **

**THUD. **

**THUD.**

Elena imagined that she could hear each beat of Caroline's frantic heart with every slap her shoes made against the tile as she raced around the manor.

She burst through every door she saw, calling for Elijah, Andie, Rose. Damon was depending on her to find them. Caroline was depending on her.

**Thud.**

**Thud.**

**Thud.**

She had finally given up on the house and gone out to the grounds with still no sign of the missing trio.

She stopped, putting her hands on her knees and panting quietly, a sob catching in her throat and hot tears burning her eyes. How would she ever find them in time?

**thud.**

**thud.**

She suddenly heard a faint bang. Her body snapped erect and her head whipped back and forth. The action would have been comical if not for the seriousness of the situation.

She held her breath, ears straining. There! It was coming from the direction of the gatehouse. She broke into a sprint, skidding to a halt in front of the door, which was blocked by a wheelbarrow full of paving stones. The banging was definitely coming from there. Someone was throwing themselves into the door, trying to force it open.

She raced to move the wheelbarrow out of the way.

"Elijah?! Is that you?!" She called desperately.

The banging stopped and Elijah's cultured voice came through the door. "Elena? Get us out of here! There are trespassers on the property!"

…_**thud**_**…**

"I know!" She cried, yanking open the door. Elijah stood tall, his normally immaculate clothes and hair a wreck while Rose cradled an unconscious Andie's head in her lap. "We've stopped them but you have to come with me right now! Caroline was shot. Damon needs your help…she's dying Elijah."

Elijah and Rose both froze, Elijah's eyes becoming steely.

"Let's go."

**... …..**

Elijah and Elena raced ahead, leaving Rose to help Andie more slowly. They screeched to a halt outside the infirmary and Elijah ran inside without preamble, yelling for Damon and letting the door swing shut in Elena's face.

…**THUD**

* * *

><p>Elena paced nervously, impatient for some news…any news of how Caroline was. She couldn't seem to stay still. She had been waiting outside the infirmary for what felt like hours, barely able to hear a peep from the room behind the door.<p>

She felt so useless. It was all her fault. Jeremy and Alaric came here for her and now Caroline was hanging onto life by a thread. Sweet, innocent Caroline, who never deserved to be hurt.

Elena slumped against the wall, sliding to the floor and sighing in defeat. She rested her forearms on her knees and dropped her head. Despite the direness of Caroline's situation, her mind ran back to those terrifying moments just before Caroline and Bonnie and Stefan had come into Damon's office…when Alaric had had his gun pointed at Damon.

Damon had just been standing there. Looking like he knew exactly what he was doing, but a part of her knew…if she hadn't stepped in when she did…well it was safe to say that Caroline wouldn't have been the only one to get shot.

She had seen it in Alaric's eyes. He had been ready to kill Damon. And for a crime he hadn't even committed. She shuddered.

For some reason the thought of Damon dead just left a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, like a lead weight had settled there. She shouldn't be feeling like that about Damon of all people, but…a world without Damon would just be…

Colorless.

Gray and lifeless and one less spark of someone truly alive. And she couldn't stand that.

The pounding of boots on tile shook her from her ruminations and she looked up to see a breathless Stefan heading towards her.

He came to a stop beside her, his eyes focused on the infirmary door, as if Caroline would waltz through the door healthy and whole if he just stared hard enough.

"How is she?" He asked.

"I don't know." She said sadly.

His shoulders slumped and he looked utterly defeated. She smiled sadly. He really did care about the feisty blonde. Caroline would be thrilled. That is, if she survived.

Something suddenly occurred to Elena.

"Aren't you supposed to be keeping an eye on my brother and Alaric?" She asked, concerned that the unhinged history teacher could be wandering around the boarding house.

Stefan waved a hand dismissively. "Some of the boys finally managed to show up. They're keeping an eye on them."

Elena froze. Salvatore flunkies 'keeping an eye' on her little brother? They could be doing God knows what to him right now, and she was just sitting here…

At Elena's fearful look Stefan realized his mistake.

"No, no, don't worry Elena. Shit. I'm sorry, I'm so useless right now. I just keep seeing Caroline with all that blood." He paused, taking a shuddering breath. "Rose is with them. She'll keep them in line. Your brother's fine."

Elena visibly relaxed at this, rising and putting a comforting hand on Stefan's flustered shoulder. They stood like that for a long time, eventually both sinking down to lean against opposite walls.

The hours passed slowly into the silent night.

After what felt like an eternity the door to the infirmary opened. Elena and Stefan shot to their feet, both waiting with bated breath for news.

A haggard Damon emerged. He looked like he had gone to hell and back again. He had worry lines littering his forehead, his eyes were dull and tired, and he had a fleck of blood staining his cheek.

He raised his eyes slowly to his cousin's as Stefan stared at him, not even breathing. Damon flicked his head in the direction of the infirmary. Stefan needed no second urging, rushing into the room, the door swinging quietly shut behind him.

He turned his exhausted eyes to Elena.

"Caroline?" She asked, her hazel eyes over-bright.

Damon sighed, sweeping his masses of black hair off of his forehead. "Caroline will be fine."

Elena let a breath she hadn't known she was holding out in a gust, a relieved smile gracing her beautiful face.

Damon was dumbstruck, his overworked brain struggling to process such perfection. With a great effort of will he managed to piece his scattered thoughts together.

"It was a near thing though. If Elijah hadn't gotten here when he did…I don't know if I could have saved her. Caroline owes you her life." Damon said.

She blushed, ducking her head and wringing her hands uncomfortably. "I didn't do anything. If anyone saved Caroline it was you. And Elijah."

She looked so innocent, standing there with her eyes on the ground, her clothes and hair disheveled with the horrors of the night. Suddenly Damon just wanted to convince her of her own worth.

He strode forward, cupping her soft cheek in his palm. She looked up at him, confused at the intimacy in his eyes.

He gazed deep into her stunning hazel orbs, doing whatever he could to convince her of his sincerity.

"I mean it. Caroline would be dead if not for you. And she wouldn't be the only one. We owe you our lives tonight. If you hadn't stepped in when you did Alaric would have killed me. He would have never known the truth. I would be dead."

She flinched, her eyes growing heated. "I wouldn't have let that happen."

His eyes widened, stunned. Again her freedom was practically handed to her on a silver platter, and she chose to protect him. Who was this girl? And what was she doing to his poor, damaged heart?

He brushed his thumb gently over the bruise forming on her forehead, pulling away as she winced slightly. "Did he hurt you?" He asked gently.

She looked at him, smiling softly. "I'm okay. I was a little more worried about you to be honest."

He grinned, preening. "Oh Elena, you should know better. No one would dare mar such a perfect male specimen."

She scoffed at his arrogance, looking at him with genuine amusement in her eyes, leaning into the hand still against her cheek.

The silence grew between them as they gazed at each other, his warm thumb gently caressing her face.

He broke the spell, taking his hand away and pulling back.

"I'm sorry. About earlier. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

She shook her head, ponytail bobbing behind her. "No. You were right. Caroline was dying and I was just keeping you from doing what you had to. Besides, you were under a lot of stress between my brother and Caroline and almost being killed."

He smiled sadly. "Still. I shouldn't have taken things out on you."

She was surprised. He was being so sensitive and responsible. She didn't recognize this Damon and she didn't know what to do about this attraction for him, so different from what she felt for him physically. She could fight the urge to jump him every time he gave her that panty-dropping smirk of his. But fighting their inexplicable emotional connection was an uphill battle. And she was quickly losing ground.

So she grinned, making light of things, defending her injured heart from this tempting man.

"Careful Damon. I'd almost believe you care." She joked, hiding from herself, from him, from what was growing between them.

His eyes snapped to hers at that, his expression angered…and a little hurt. _How can she belittle what she learned about me, and what's been growing between us, these past few days?_ He thought furiously.

He had been so good lately, playing the tame, concerned host rather than being who he really was. A survivor. A predator. As if somehow that would absolve him from his monstrosity at their first meeting.

So…if the softer him couldn't convince her…well, he was nothing if not versatile.

In a sudden surge of energy fueled by his frustration, he rushed forward, trapping her between his body and the wall, making her gasp. His arms caged her head, as he stared intently down at her. Her eyes widened at the fire lighting his blue orbs and her knees quivered, threatening to spill her into him.

His hands slid to her shoulders as he brought his nose to her clavicle. He ran it along the column of her neck, inhaling deeply and grinning when her breath hitched in her throat. _Fuck._ She smelled so goddamn amazing, like sex and wine and acceptance and fuck it all, he _wanted_ that.

His hands made their slow way down her arms, thumbs barely grazing the sides of her breasts in a cruel tease for them both. What he wouldn't give to cup those perfect globes in his palms right now. But now…this was about payback…and about making her see how wrong she was when she thought he was still the same person that kidnapped her with no care for her circumstances.

Her eyes fluttered shut at the sensation of his hands ghosting down her body, dark lashes staining her cheekbones. By the time his warm palms landed on her hips her breaths were throaty and needy and seemed to be connected straight to his cock. He had to end this quickly or he wouldn't be able to keep from taking her right now against the wall.

But she just felt so fucking fantastic.

She whimpered as he ran his hands back and forth, up and down from her thighs to her hips over and over again. He smirked lightly at her noises, watching her fingers scrabble for purchase against the smooth wall. He could sense how badly she wanted to touch him, how much she was fighting it. And he had been good for too long. It was time to have some fun, give this entirely too-desirable girl a taste of the rock-hard torture he went through every time he was in her presence.

She almost whined when he froze, effortlessly maintaining a mere centimeter of distance between them. Shit that was a fuck-hot noise. It took all his control to keep from plastering himself to her body and letting her feel his aching need for her. He took a breath, forcing himself to focus. She had said something about caring…and being careful…right.

"You're right Elena. I should be careful. _You_ are most definitely dangerous." He rumbled, the gravelly tone of his voice stirring images of silk sheets and endless waves of carnal pleasure.

He barely brushed his lips over her collarbone and she sighed, unconsciously letting her head fall to the side in invitation. God, he should get a fucking _medal_ for what he was about to do. He brought his head up until his lips hovered just above hers.

"But never make the mistake of thinking I don't care." He murmured, his breath teasing her lips in a near kiss.

"Goodnight Elena."

Her eyes flew open but he was already striding quickly down the hall. It was all she could do to lean against the wall, knees quivering, and watch him walk away.

* * *

><p>Somehow the entire household reached an unspoken agreement to end things for the night, tottering to bed at the ripe old hour of 3:52 a.m.<p>

Alaric and Jeremy were shown to separate guest rooms. As they were led down the hall Damon flicked his head at Rose, somehow communicating to her to post a guard on each of the invader's quarters. When Elena saw the guards she wanted to protest this treatment of her brother, but at the warning look Elijah gave her she shut her mouth. There would be time to convince them of Jeremy's good intentions.

Tomorrow was a new day after all.

The next morning they trickled slowly into the kitchen where Bonnie had laid out a light breakfast. They nibbled dully on sweet buns and fruit salad as they waited for everyone to be present so they could hear how Caroline was doing.

And so they could figure out how her attackers had managed to breach security so easily.

With Klaus on the loose and coming for them there would have to be some serious changes to the current security. The men had gotten comfortable, far too comfortable in Klaus' absence if two novices had managed to get past their defenses without detection.

Elijah was clearly furious. His fists were tight balls at his sides and his lips were a thin line. A vein throbbed in his neck. For such a reserved man, this was tantamount to going on an all-night bender.

Damon could relate. The defense of the whole compound fell to the two of them. If the Salvatore enforcers were getting lazy it was up to them to keep things running. His men should know better.

He would _love_ to hear their explanation for how a high school history teacher and a runny nosed whelp had gotten past them. He grinned darkly. He was sure it would be _enlightening_ for himself and his armsmaster.

Just like the weeklong boot camp style retraining session he had planned would be _enlightening_ for his men.

The two of them had gone to collect Alaric and Jeremy from their confinement. They lead them now into the kitchen.

Upon entering, Damon immediately focused on Elena, wondering what her response to him would be after their meeting in the hall last night. He watched with interest as her eyes almost instantly, unerringly found his.

She hiccoughed in a deep breath and a delicious blush stained her cheeks. She ducked her head down, clearly trying to look at him without actually looking at him. He smirked. Oh yes, their little tryst last night had definitely affected her.

Good. Because it sure as fuck had left him needy as all get out.

Elena looked up when she heard her brother's voice, only to see him being escorted in by none other than Damon. Her mind immediately went to the previous night, remembering the way he touched her, the things he said. Her body burned in remembrance of how badly she had wanted him. She had been so far gone, just about ready to say fuck it and wrap her legs around his waist and never look back when he had pulled away and left her wanting.

What it was exactly that she wanted was a different story.

Because she was pretty sure she was beginning to fall for this ridiculous man, in more ways than one. Unfortunately, he seemed to only want her for her body. Not that she didn't sometimes wish he would just grab her and fuck her on most surfaces in the house already, because she did. But she was beginning to think that it would be entirely too easy to let herself want more from him.

Much more.

The kind of more a man like him would never be able to give her.

It was pitiful and an exercise in futility if she ever saw one.

She sighed, the lust that had been coiling through her cooling as quickly as it began. She looked up again to see not just Damon's eyes, but also Jeremy's on her.

And she realized how long it had been since she had seen her little brother.

She wanted to slap herself.

She immediately made her way towards him, only to be once again cut off.

"Ah, ah, ah Elena dearest," Damon warned, shaking a finger infuriatingly, "You two can have your epic reunion _after_ we figure out how the hell they managed to not only get into our compound, but also incapacitate some of the most elite forces this side of the Atlantic…not that I'm bragging or anything." He finished with a wiggle of eyebrows.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Damon, I haven't seen my brother in almost two weeks. Can you at least give me a minute to appreciate the fact that he's alive?"

"I'll give you ten seconds." Damon retorted, leading the younger Gilbert toward a chair. "Nine…eight…" He counted down, before pressing the boy into his seat.

Elena sat down with a huff, crossing her arms and frowning furiously.

Damon made his way to his own chair, pursing his lips at her. "Oh come on pouty, no harm, no foul, right?"

Elena just glared at him.

Meanwhile, Alaric had also been led to a seat, his somewhat separate from the rest of the group. Elijah stood behind him, a warning hand on his shoulder as the others looked at him with varying levels of disapproval. He kept his eyes meekly on his lap, seemingly trying to make himself look as innocuous as possible.

Damon grinned at the teacher's discomfort. It was nice when the shoe was on the other foot.

"Alrighty!" He began brightly. "Let's get this show on the road."

"Caroline," He flicked his eyes to Ric, "you know, the blonde girl you shot for no reason, yeah, she's going to be fine."

The room let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Oh thank God." Bonnie breathed, clutching Rose's hand. Stefan clenched his fists, remembering the sight of her right after the operation, all bandages and tubes marring her perfect features.

"Luckily the bullet missed her vital organs, or that might not have been the case." Damon continued. "Between Elijah and I, we were able to patch her up. We're giving her sedatives intravenously along with her food. We'll let her sleep it off for a few days, then wake her up and see how she's doing."

"Now then." Damon said, leaning his elbows on his knees and steepling his fingers. "Why doesn't the daring duo tell us how they managed to sneak into the most well-guarded fortress on the east coast without raising a single alarm, hmm?" He asked, eyes flicking between Jeremy and Alaric.

The two remained quiet, looking at their laps.

"What, nothing to say? You had plenty to tell us last night."

"Jer, please, just tell him." Elena pleaded. "He'll let you go if you do."

Damon snorted.

Elena glared at him. "I promise he will. He owes me." She said, looking at Damon significantly.

Jeremy's head snapped up at that, his eyes flashing. "No shit he owes you. He owes both of us. He fucking took you from me. You think I'm just going to leave now that I found you? I'm not going anywhere without you Elena."

"Okay…" Damon interrupted. "As sweet as this family bonding is, I'm gonna need you to tell me how you got in here to find her at all." He ordered, his voice a little over-sweet.

Jeremy glared at him heatedly. "Why should I tell you anything asshole?"

"Don't ask questions, just spill." Damon growled, wishing he was close enough to slap this kid upside the head. Really, he should have planned the seating arrangements better.

Jeremy continued to stay sullenly silent, his lower lip sticking out petulantly.

"Jer, please. It's important okay? A bad person is coming and we need to know how you got in here so he can't get in the same way." Elena said gently.

His eyes flicked to his sister before all the fight seemed to go out of him.

"Klaus right?"

Elena's eyes widened.

"How do you know about that young man?" Elijah asked.

Jeremy's eyes flicked to Alaric.

"Soooo, the teacher has something to say huh?" Damon said. "Well, speak up, now's your chance."

Alaric looked up, his expression haggard. Elijah nudged him coldly. "Speak."

Alaric scrubbed at his face, sighing. "I have some…contacts that owe me. They keep me informed about the less-legal organizations around here. I was always hoping to hear something about Isobel. Not that it matters anymore. When I heard that Klaus was coming to town I knew our chances to get Elena out were about to become nonexistent. I knew we had to move fast if we were going to get her away before shit hit the fan between you two. But that's all I know."

"Okay…well that's…useless." Damon griped.

"So, then, how did you guys get in here so easily?" Rose asked.

"It wasn't easy actually. We went in the town archives and found some old blueprints of this place. We studied those every night during dinner, planning our route." Jeremy explained. "And we've been timing when the watches change and for how long they last whenever we could the last two weeks. There's an old service entrance in the wall on the south side, a wooden door completely overgrown by the forest. There was only ever one guard there. We snuck up and took him down with tranquilizer bullets and drug his body into the shadows, tying his wrists and ankles with zip ties. Actually, he's probably still there."

"Jer!" Elena exclaimed, shocked that her brother could be so casual about this.

He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, once we were past the wall it was easy. There are almost no guards on the ground so we just kept to the darkest patches, trank-ing and tying anyone we ran into."

"You were the one who shot us!" Bonnie exclaimed indignantly.

Jeremy grinned sheepishly at the dark beauty. "Yeah…sorry about that."

"So, what next?" Andie prompted, speaking up for the first time.

"Jeremy went in the back while I circled around front." Alaric said, continuing the story. "I found the three of you chatting over tea, so I put you to sleep and drug you in the gatehouse."

Damon smirked at this, eyes flicking mischievously to Elijah.

"Wow Eli, I can't believe you let a teacher get the drop on you like that." He teased.

Elijah's face was stiff with disapproval and embarrassment. "I was…distracted."

Alaric snorted derisively. "You're one to talk. 'Oh, I'm the terrifying Damon Salvatore, scourge of a hundred counties, going through women like underwear. I can't even reach my gun when I'm being held up by said teacher.'"

Bonnie giggled before quickly clapping a hand over her mouth.

Damon shut up, scowling at the older man. "Careful buddy." He growled. "And I don't wear underwear." He added, wiggling his eyebrows at Elena and grinning when she blushed.

"Besides, it took like three darts to take him down. I shot him once and he just kept coming for me." Alaric added, ignoring Damon completely.

"It's true." Rose added, smiling at the dapper spymaster. "He fought like an animal. I mean, things were a little blurry for me, but I saw that much. He was amazing."

If Damon didn't know better he would say Elijah blushed at Rose's gushing. _Hmm. My guard captain and my head of household. Interesting._ He filed that away as another way to mess with his spymaster before getting back to the conversation at hand.

"Okay, enough of the 'Let's Make Fun of Damon' game."

"But it's so much fun." Bonnie murmured, making him shoot her a glance. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Fine, you'll all gang up on me, great, can we please get back to the story, hmm?" He griped.

"Well, there's not much more to tell." Alaric said. "I found you, I'm assuming Jeremy found the others, and you know the rest." He paused. "I should add, though, that I really am terribly sorry for what happened to the little blonde. I never…" he shuddered, "I never meant for something like that to happen to an innocent."

The room was quiet, their thoughts with Caroline.

"Well at least that tells us what we need to know to get ready for Klaus, right Damon? We can let them go now, right?" Elena prompted, breaking the silence, her tone making it sound like he didn't have a choice.

"Yeah fine." Damon grumbled. "I don't need anything else from them. As long as they stay out of my way I guess there's no need to give them any trouble."

"Whoooaaa, no way. I came all this way here for Elena, I'm not leaving without her. And what's all this 'we' need to get ready for Klaus huh? That seems like a Salvatore and Klaus problem to me. What's my sister got to do with it? Just let her go!" Jeremy argued.

"Jer," Elena began, "I'm not leaving Jer."

"What, why the fuck not?!"

"Because, they need my help to stop Klaus. These people are my friends and he's coming here to kill them Jer, to kill Damon. And Damon isn't…he's not who you think he is okay? You don't know the whole story."

"So tell it to me. C'mon Lennie, explain to me why I shouldn't just knock you out with a dart and lock you up at home until you shake off this delusional Stockholm syndrome you've developed." He demanded.

"Well, for one, because we wouldn't let you." Damon interjected. When Jeremy turned to growl at him, he held up a finger. "And for two, because Elena is _literally_ the only person who can save this town Jeremy. Not just me, not just the Salvatore Group, this whole town. You think I'm a monster? I've got nothing on Klaus and his band of thugs. Do you really want to set them loose on the happy citizens of Mystic Falls?"

"Murderers and rapists, the whole lot." Elijah added, spitting with the force of his disapproval.

Jeremy looked around the room, as if weighing them to see if they were telling the truth. His eyes landed on his sister. The siblings seemed to share some kind of silent communication, Jeremy becoming stiffer and stiffer with every second.

"I'm _not_ leaving Jer." Elena finally said.

He continued to look at her his eyes pleading.

"I'll consider her debt paid kid."

Elena looked at Damon, shock clear in her eyes.

"What?" She breathed.

Damon leaned forward, looking square at Jeremy. "If she does this, if she helps us stop this psychopath, I'll wipe her slate clean. She won't owe me a dime."

He glanced at Elena. "She'll be free."

Jeremy squinted at Damon, trying to tell if he was lying. He got up and marched over until he stood right in front of the raven-haired man. Then he extended his hand, looking at Damon expectantly.

Damon smirked, standing and shaking the kid's hand firmly.

Jeremy nodded, releasing Damon, before taking a deep breath and letting it out in a huff.

"Okay. Well, I'm helping."

"What, no way!" Elena cried, standing up and rushing over to her brother. "Jer you can't, it's too dangerous."

Jeremy frowned stubbornly. "As if I'd let my sister face a raging psychopath with only another raging psychopath as backup. If it's not too dangerous for you, it's not too dangerous for me. _And_ I want the full story. I want to know why only my sister can do this."

"But…" Elena argued.

"Let the kid help, the more the merrier."

"Damon!" Elena exclaimed.

"I'll fill him in." Bonnie added.

"Bonnie!"

"Damon is right." Alaric interrupted. "Jeremy is smart and, if last night is any evidence, good in a fight. He'll be useful. And I can help too."

"You help me?" Damon drawled incredulously. "I don't know, it seems a little…unnatural."

Alaric rolled his eyes. "Just because I loathe and despise you for helping take my wife away from me doesn't mean I want to leave this town at the mercy of a grade A nut job. And if you think for one second I'm going to pass up the opportunity to stop the man who's after my wife…well, you're crazier than I thought."

Damon gave the teacher a long look before shrugging. "Okay…fair enough. It looks like we've got two new recruits gang. It's all so rah rah, go team, yeah!" He exclaimed, grinning with false enthusiasm.

All of them seemed relaxed with this newest crisis resolved and ready to move onto the real issue…Klaus.

All, that was, except Stefan.

A muscle ticked in Stefan's jaw. So that was how it was gonna be? He'd apologize, offer to help, and suddenly everything was hunky dory? Even after he almost killed Caroline? He had kept his mouth shut until now, but no more.

He got up, striding angrily to Ric, fisting the front of his shirt and lifting him up despite Elijah's protests.

"Listen up!" He spat. "Everyone else may have forgiven you, but I won't forget what you did to Caroline. One wrong move, one hint that you're going to try to hurt my cousin, or any of us, again, and I'll rip you to pieces. Got it?" He asked, shoving the older man back into his seat and striding to his own chair in a huff.

"Got it." Ric whispered, rubbing his throat.

The room was silent, apparently in shock after Stefan's uncharacteristically violent display until Damon interjected in his typical irreverent fashion.

"Weeell…now that that's all cleared up…anyone want to go shame the forces with me? It'll be fu-un." He sang, grinning mischievously.

* * *

><p>The sleek black SUV pulled into the classical mansion bordering the edge of the tiny town. A team of cleaners and renovators had been working around the clock for the last week, opening the house up after its long vacancy. Now it stood pristine and bright, awaiting the family that had left it standing empty for so many years.<p>

The staff stood in the drive, lined up in a panoply to greet their returning masters. Their eyes were turned towards the ground but they all flicked nervous glances at the car as it came to the end of the drive.

It ground to a stop before them and a tall blonde man exited the passenger side of the vehicle, his heavy black combat boots crunching on the gravel.

He looked around him, his light eyes examining all before him with a critical air, even the people.

"Pull the car around would you Tony?" He called over his shoulder. The driver nodded soundlessly, not replying. It's not like he could.

Tony was mute.

All of the servants were. After all, if they couldn't talk, they couldn't give up their masters' secrets.

The man walked forward, down the line of staff before him, his eyes weighing each of them and seeming to find them wanting.

He paused before the littlest one, a miniscule brunette with bobbing shoulder-length curls, probably barely fourteen. He smirked as he watched her quiver before him, her eyes wide and downcast.

He sighed, drawing a single finger along the side of her face, watching as her eyes closed in fear, until he could tilt her head up.

"Hello love." He said as she stared at him, a cornered antelope before the lion. He leaned forward, smirking as she tried not to recoil from him. They had learned never to do that.

"Be a dear and bring the bags in why don't you? There's a good girl. Rebekah and Kol will be along shortly and you know how they like a ready house." She nodded, her head bobbing jerkily, before scurrying off to obey.

He knew. They couldn't wait to escape him. Which made things all the more fun.

He walked away, airily dismissing the rest of the staff before going to climb the broad, grassy hill that sprouted behind the house just like he did every time he returned here.

By the time he reached the top it was evening. The setting sun lit up the town below in red as far as the eye could see. Red like fire. Red like blood. It seemed like a good omen. He would paint the town in both soon enough.

"Ah Mystic Falls." He breathed, his eyes lighting with nostalgia.

"It's good to be home."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: YAY! We finally meet Klaus. Isn't he super creepy? To be clear, I started writing this before they started humanizing Klaus and everything, so he's gonna be a straight up, classic, bad guy nut-job version of himself. Which of course, means no Klaroline (obviously because of she and Steffie-pie in this fic). Don't get me wrong Klaroline shippers, I'm one of you. It's just not happening in this fic. Sorry.**

**Let me know what you think of Klaus' creepy household and Damon and Elena's little hallway confrontation! Also, how did you feel about the season premiere? Like? Dislike? I'm dying to know.**

**Hope you liked it!**


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